A brutal stabbing attack in Belfast has sparked anti-immigrant protests in Northern Ireland.

Police in Northern Ireland said on Tuesday they had arrested a man in connection with what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called a fatal stabbing incident in Belfast. A graphic video of the incident has been shared online by figures on the right of British politics, which have called for a number of anti-immigration protests.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) identified the suspect as a 30-year-old Sudanese man, after initially saying he was believed to be from Somalia. Police said a kitchen knife was found at the scene.

A video posted online shows a man groping another as he lays on the street, slashing him several times on the head and neck with a knife that appears to be trying to decapitate him. Many people were seen to intervene and confront the criminal as the police arrived.

Requests for shows across Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening have found inspiration online. Many social media accounts called on people to come out and “protest more people moving into their communities.”

The stabbing came a year later riots motivated by racism Northern Ireland was rocked by the sexual assault, and a week after a far-right group led protests over the police’s response to a young white man. the student who was stabbed died is a British Sikh man from the south of England.

Starmer called Monday’s attack in Belfast “horrific” and “sick.”

“I have absolutely no tolerance for scenes of such disgusting violence in our streets,” he said to X. “My thoughts go out to the victim, and I thank the first responders, including the members of the public who intervened.”

Police say there is no information yet to suggest terrorism

Police in Northern Ireland said a suspect in a stabbing incident in Belfast has been arrested on a charge of attempted murder.

The victim, a man in his 40s, was in critical condition at a local hospital after suffering serious injuries to his face, eyes, neck and back, police said.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the PSNI had declared the attack “very serious” as a “serious incident.”

“We have started an investigation to find out the reason,” he said, adding that “this brutal attack will shock the public, which has caused great concern.”

“At this time, we have no information indicating that this was a terrorist-related incident,” Henderson said. He emphasized that the investigation is still starting.

An appeal for silence as the police “know the calls” for mass protests

The leaders of Northern Ireland’s five main political parties issued a joint statement condemning the attack, saying “there is no place in our society for this kind of brutality.”

“We ask that there be calm and that there is an environment that allows justice to continue,” said the parties.

Political leaders and the police urged people not to capture the video of the attack, saying “the nature of it will torture those involved.”

Gavin Robinson, a British member of parliament from the UK Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said in parliament that the suspect is in the UK with a five-year visa.

“What happened last night will have a major impact on social cohesion in this country,” said Robinson, urging the government to “recognize that uncontrolled migration must end.”

Henderson said he was “aware of speculation about the suspect’s status,” adding that he had spoken to colleagues at the UK Home Office and his understanding was that “someone has been granted leave to remain in Northern Ireland.”

He said the Home Office “will be confirming the exact details” in the coming days, and that he understood the man had come to Northern Ireland from Dublin, Ireland, before obtaining permission to stay in the UK autonomous region.

UK authorities have not confirmed the suspect’s immigration status.

Immigration has become a hotly debated issue in British politics. Widespread anger over a perceived lack of control over who can enter and stay in the UK, and how immigrants and long-term residents are treated by the authorities, has helped fuel the rise of anti-immigrant groups in the election.

Leading figures in Britain, including anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who goes by the name Tommy Robinson, were among those who circulated a video of the Belfast attack calling for protests.

Other accounts posted locations of protests planned for later on Tuesday.

Henderson, the deputy chief constable, said he was “aware of calls this evening for protests across Northern Ireland.”

“I understand that last night’s incident will leave the people of different tribes worried, afraid and angry,” he said, adding a request for it to stop.

Northern Ireland experienced riots and unrest for more than a week last June after two Romanian children were charged with the attempted rape of a schoolgirl in Ballymena, north-west Belfast.

Those charges were later dropped, with prosecutors citing a lack of evidence, but anti-immigrant violence has since spread to other cities in Northern Ireland, with dozens of homes attacked and some residents choosing to display “local people living here” signs in their windows to stop the riots.

Mainland Britain also saw violent clashes between police and protesters at anti-immigration protests last year, including some near hotels used to house asylum seekers.