The chief executives of Northern Ireland's Health and Social Care Trusts have issued a joint statement saying they are deeply "concerned and appalled" at the violence.

"It is completely unacceptable that our international staff, who provide an invaluable service, should be intimidated or feel too frightened to come to work," they say.

"The current unrest is having a profound impact on all of our services, which are already under enormous strain."

They add that while the trusts are trying to operate normally, the disruption is making this "increasingly difficult".

"The safety of our patients, service users and our staff is paramount. It is imperative that everyone who works across our Health and Social Care Service... are able to provide essential care to everyone that needs it, without fear or intimidation."

The trust thanked staff for their continued dedication in really difficult circumstances.

A man who is originally from India tells BBC News NI he's decided to leave Northern Ireland after Tuesday night's violence.

He came to the UK 25 years ago and has lived in Northern Ireland for the last four years.

"We're leaving right now," he says.

The man, who doesn't want to be named, says he "didn't sleep all night".

"It was horrible. It was like a war zone.

"Everything was burning."

He describes hiding in his home and hearing the sound of smashing glass coming from the streets outside.

"No one was coming out, people were so scared."

Brendan Hughes
BBC News NI political reporter

Image source, PA Media

There was “some anecdotal evidence of a decrease of pupil attendance” following the overnight disturbances in Northern Ireland, Stormont's education minister has said, although A-Level and GCSE exams are “continuing as normal”.

Paul Givan told the Northern Ireland Assembly’s education committee that the fall in attendance was “particularly amongst newcomer population” - those pupils for whom English or Irish is not their first language.

On scheduled exams, Givan said they were “continuing as normal today”, adding: “I have no information to suggest that there has been any disruption to those exams being able to proceed.”

Earlier the minister said a blanket closure of schools following the disorder would be "disproportionate and counterproductive".

Marianna Spring
Social media investigations correspondent

I've been investigating for the BBC's Top Comment podcast how what happened in Belfast is a part of a pattern of a violence inflamed by social media algorithms.

A post - like the video of the suspect in Belfast seriously injuring a man - sparks understandable shock. It goes viral.

The suspect is identified (correctly or incorrectly) - in this case a Sudanese man who entered the UK in 2023.

Then, anti-immigrant ideas are pushed on X by political profiles who have purchased blue ticks. Elon Musk weighs in on his profile with huge reach.

All these posts are recommended by algorithms - which run on emotions like rage. Hate online, and then offline, is directed at immigrants, many of whom have nothing to do with the incident.

This happened during the riots after the murder of three girls in Southport. It happened after allegations of a gang rape in Epsom, which turned out not to have happened. And it occurred following the murder of teenager Henry Nowak.

There are differences - from outright misidentification of suspects to real allegations of police misconduct.

But the cycle online is similar - and is partly due to the design of the sites and decisions to reward outrage, according to insiders.

A second man has been charged over the violent protests in Northern Ireland, the PSNI says.

The 42-year-old was charged with riot, attempted criminal damage and assault on a police designated person.

Earlier today a 39-year-old man was charged with riot.

The PSNI says it has set up a Public Order Enquiry Team and "all video and online footage is currently being reviewed, with further arrests and charges to follow".

A large crowd of protesters have marched through Dublin city centre to demand changes to Ireland's immigration system.

They held a rally at the General Post Office (GPO) and then marched through the centre of the city towards Leinster House - home of the Irish parliament.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports that "several hundred people" took part in the protest, external, with organisers calling for a referendum on the EU Migration Pact.

Several speakers who addressed the rally also made reference to the knife attack in Belfast on Monday night.

Part of O'Connell Street was blocked during the protest, with traffic diverted for a time but the street has since fully reopened.

Eight families have contacted the Housing Executive seeking emergency accommodation as a result of civil disturbance.

A spokesperson for the organisation said it is currently assessing the damage to Housing Executive properties across the city, adding that they're aware of attacks on other housing providers and services.

"We’ll be working with partner organisations throughout today to help provide assistance to those households requiring temporary accommodation and support," they said.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent

Northern Ireland's executive ministers have held a virtual emergency meeting in the wake of Tuesday's disorder.

Ministers have been engaging collectively with Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, and the executive has said it is focused on doing what it can in this situation.

Image source, PA Media

Rita Devlin, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing says that staff have "been stopped by masked men" when travelling in and out of work.

"They have been asked to show their credentials to masked men. They have been unable to get into work."

"It's absolutely shocking that those nurses who worked and looked after that very poor patient have now been traumatised twice.

"Once after that brutal assault, and yet again trying to get into work and being stopped by masked men."

She says some of these nurses are international and they are "absolutely petrified".

She is calling for all essential workers to be allowed safe passage to work.

"We simply could not run our services without them. It's as simple as that. If all our internationally educated nurses left tomorrow, our system would grind to a halt."

Devlin says she has heard of reports of nurses being too afraid to leave their homes, adding that protests were "basically at the front door" of the hospital.

What do we know about asylum seekers entering Northern Ireland?published at 15:10 BST

15:10 BST

By Ben Chu

The Sudanese man charged with attempted murder, Hadi Alodid, originally travelled from Dublin in the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland where he claimed asylum, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said.

Home Office data records the arrival routes of asylum seekers to the UK, breaking them down into categories, such as those coming on small boats or on visas.

The “other” category includes asylum seekers arriving through the Common Travel Area (CTA), the agreement allowing free movement of British and Irish citizens between the Republic of Ireland and the UK, without valid permission to enter.

In the year to March 2026, this category accounted for 8% of total asylum seeker arrivals - which works out at 7,740., external

However, the actual numbers arriving in Northern Ireland through the CTA over that period is likely to be considerably lower, given the “other” category includes asylum claims where authorities couldn’t identify a specific route of entry and also UK-born children of asylum seekers.

The fact that official information was released on how Alodid entered indicates internal Home Office systems might hold more data on the routes taken by those who claim asylum in Northern Ireland, including those coming over land from the Republic of Ireland.

As well as in Belfast, protests took place across several locations last night.

Across Glasgow city centre, in Scotland, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at different locations on Tuesday night with their faces covered. Many were chanting, with Union flags and banners on show.

Three men have been arrested and charged following the disorder. Police Scotland said five people were injured, including two officers and Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said people were "attacked because of the colour of their skin".

Dozens of protesters also turned up at St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, before marching along Princes Street shouting with blue flares and saltires.

About 100 staged a demonstration in Ayr.

In England, dozens of protesters held Union and St George's flags as they fathered outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Southampton.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Three arrests have been made following the disorder in Northern Ireland last night, Security Minister Dan Jarvis has told the House of Commons.

"More will surely follow," he adds.

Earlier, we reported that the first riot charge had been issued relating to the disorder - the 39-year-old man is due to appear in court later today.

Speaking to MPs, Jarvis says: "Our message to those responsible for last night’s disorder is altogether different. To them, we say this, ‘you will be caught, and you will face the consequences of your actions’."

Image source, Steve Aiken

The co-owner of a Turkish barber shop says he is deeply saddened that their business was targeted during disorder in Ballyclare, a town in County Antrim about 13 miles from Belfast.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme, Özer Soysüren, said the shop has been open for 20 years and that staff spent the morning cleaning up damage caused the previous night.

"We knew the protest was going to happen, so we left a little early to get home and keep ourselves safe, and about an hour after we left, that's when it happened.

"We have CCTV footage showing rioters smashing the windows."

Soysüren said the local community has been incredibly supportive since the attack, with a steady stream of people visiting the shop to check on staff.

He said neither he nor his staff would be intimidated into leaving Ballyclare, adding that the amount of support they have received in the aftermath of the incident shows those responsible for the damage are in the minority.

A senior nurse has told BBC News NI she is greatly concerned that nurses from the Indian community may decide to leave Northern Ireland in the aftermath of racist attacks.

Biji Jose, from the Northern Ireland Indian Nurses Forum, has been living in Northern Ireland for 23 years.

She said junior colleagues have been in touch about the recent violence and are "really worried" about their safety.

"At the minute, I can see very anxious faces and too much worry about their families, children, future jobs, insecurity about walking around the street freely like before," she said.

"People sometimes think about we are here to come to take their job. No, it is not the way," Jose added, saying healthcare workers were among the most needed employees in Northern Ireland.

"We are filling the workforce shortage and easing the waiting lists for procedures, because of our relentless, selfless, kind services supporting the community to get the proper care on time."

Declan Harvey
BBC News NI

In Belfast city centre it's almost deserted compared to a normal mid-week lunchtime.

Groups of tourists have appeared stranded and are asking police, who are on patrol, for guidance.

A local cafe says it’s been very quiet today due to the public transport cancellations.

There is no sign of Translink city centre buses here.

Image source, PA Media

Residents, politicians and emergency services are reflecting on a night of violent disorder in Belfast last night which saw cars, homes and a bus set on fire. Here's a recap of what we've heard this morning:

Violence condemned

The overnight violence has been met with widespread condemnation from political leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer who described the chaos as "shocking and completely unacceptable".

Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O’Neill said groups showed "disgusting cowardice" by "burning families out of their homes", while Reform UK's Richard Tice condemned the violence and called for calm.

PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher added the disorder was a "huge act of self-harm by mindless idiots" and called on people to prevent further violence.

Families forced to flee

As rioters took to the streets, some residents were forced to leave their homes amid the violence. A young African family living in the area for 20 years moved after their windows were smashed, while a Ukrainian family fled with their dog when their front door caught on fire.

Another resident recalled watching his home going up in flames, saying "that’s a feeling I’ll never get over".

Elsewhere, a two-month-old baby was rescued by police officers during the violence, while a 70-year-old man with dementia ended up in hospital because a brick went through his window.

Suspect in court

The suspected attacker, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, has appeared in court in Belfast charged with attempted murder. He is also charged with possession of a knife in a public place and threats to kill an NHS worker.

Hadi Alodid, with an address in Duncairn Avenue in north Belfast, appeared via video link at Belfast Magistrates’ Court and was remanded into custody.

The court was also told the victim, named as Stephen Ogilvy, who is in his 40s, has lost his left eye following the attack and remains in hospital.

The statement from the family of Stephen Ogilvy also says they are "aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident".

"We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward," the family say.

"We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work."

They say they do not want this "terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility".

Mr Ogilvy remains in hospital. A court heard today that he has lost his left eye and has damage to his right eye following the attack.

The family of Stephen Ogilvy, who was injured in Monday night's north Belfast knife attack, say they are "completely devastated by the horrific attack".

"This has been a massive shock to our whole family, and right now, our only priority is being at his bedside and helping him recover," the family says in a statement.

They have thanked the local people who "bravely stepped in during the attack".

"Your quick actions absolutely saved his life, and we will never forget what you did for him in that moment," they said.

They also thank emergency services, doctors and nurses who have been looking after him.

A 39-year-old man has become the first person to be charged by police over the violent protests in Northern Ireland.

The suspect was arrested in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, on Tuesday and has been charged with riot.

He is due to appear in court this afternoon.

The PSNI says it has set up a Public Order Enquiry Team and "all video and online footage is currently being reviewed, with further arrests and charges to follow".