'Violence in Belfast' and Trump's 'war words'

36 minutes ago

News image — Reports of violence on the streets of Belfast following Monday's knife attack dominate Wednesday's papers. The Guardian reports that crowds burned vehicles and blocked roads in and around the city. On its front page is a photo of a bus set ablaze by protesters in the city centre. A 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder after Monday's attack.

The headline on the front page of the Guardian reads: "Violence erupts in Belfast after protests over stabbing attack." — Reports of violence on the streets of Belfast following Monday's knife attack dominate Wednesday's papers. The Guardian reports that crowds burned vehicles and blocked roads in and around the city. On its front page is a photo of a bus set ablaze by protesters in the city centre. A 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder after Monday's attack.

The headline on the front page of the i Paper reads: "Police plead for calm after knife attack as far-right push for protests across Britain." — Police and politicians are calling for calm, the i Paper reports, noting that there are fears of further disorder across cities in the UK.

The headline on the front page of the Independent reads: "Plea for calm after 'sickening' Belfast street knife attack." — Similarly, the Independent quotes Northern Ireland 's police chief as saying now is "not a time for protest".

The headline on the front page of the Times reads: "Refugee charged with 'medieval' knife attack." — The Times reports that the suspect was granted asylum in 2023 after he fled Sudan. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said there was "no trace" of him on any of the national security databases and he was not known to police, the paper says.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph reads: "Beheading suspect entered UK via asylum loophole." — The suspect is believed to have travelled from Sudan to Paris and then to Dublin, before taking a bus to Belfast in February 2023, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper adds that the suspect's arrival in the UK is "likely to prompt criticism of European countries, particularly France, over policing of their borders".

The headline on the front page of the Daily Mail reads: "Sudanese knife attack suspect got asylum after taking back door to UK." — "Broken border crisis" is the view of the Daily Mail, which writes that the attack raises new questions over what it describes as a "gaping backdoor" to the UK.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Express reads: "The very best of humanity." — The Daily Express describes the actions of three residents who rushed to help the victim as "the very best of humanity". The paper's front page pictures one of the "heroes" wielding a stick at the suspect.

The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: "Evil in his eyes." — The Sun also features an image of the "hero passer-by" who helped fend off the suspect.

The headline on the front page of the Financial Times reads: "War words: Trump says US must 'respond' to Iran's downing of Apache over Hormuz strait." — The Financial Times shifts its focus to the Iran war and President Donald Trump's vow to respond to the downing of an American helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, which the US military said was hit by an Iranian drone on Monday.

The headline on the front page of the Metro reads: "Historic day for victims terrified by train pests." — Metro leads with a first-of-its-kind sex-based harassment prosecution. David Stroud grabbed a woman's hair and asked if he could kiss her on an evening train to London from Hastings, East Sussex. He was arrested two days after a new law banning harassment motivated by a person's sex came into force on 1 April.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror reads: "Refused entry." — In World Cup news, the Daily Mirror says the football community is furious after a referee from Somalia was barred from entering the US after an "11-hour interrogation" at Miami airport. Omar Artan said he had a visa and that he was not given a reason for being denied entry.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: "Shirty tricks." — And the Daily Star reports that fake football shirts are "flooding" into the UK ahead of the tournament.

Many of the front pages carry a freeze-frame from the graphic video of Monday night's attack in Belfast.

The Guardian leads on the disorder in the city, saying the violence erupted after what it calls "agitators", including Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk, exhorted people to take to the streets.

The Daily Telegraph says a WhatsApp message that was "forwarded many times" predicted a "mad day in Belfast" and urged men aged 18 and over to "wear dark clothing" and "be prepared to fight or be arrested". The i Paper highlights pleas from the police for calm, and says there are fears of further disorder across the UK.

Many of the papers focus on the suspect, who police have said is a Sudanese refugee.

The Daily Mail says Britain has a "gaping back door", raising "grave questions". The Mail's leader column urges the government to face up to what the paper calls "the migrant threat".

The Times believes there will be "renewed scrutiny" of the Common Travel Area, which allows for the free movement of people between the UK and Ireland after police said they believed the suspect had travelled from Dublin to Belfast by bus, before claiming asylum.

The Daily Express praises those who sought to intervene in the stabbing, calling them "the very best of humanity". The Daily Mirror reports that a fundraising campaign has begun to buy a pint for the man who arrived at the scene with a hurling stick. Matt McKiernan is quoted in the Sun saying "instinct took over" and "most people" would have done the same.

And the Daily Telegraph interprets comments by Rachel Reeves at a conference yesterday as a signal that in order to pay for higher defence spending, taxes will need to rise. The chancellor is said to have told an investors' gathering that "despite the pain of higher taxes, better to do that than get into a situation where we were before, with interest rates climbing".

The Times reports that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to announce the extra defence funding as soon as this week, with discussions going down to the wire.

'Violence in Belfast' and Trump's 'war words'

Daily Express

Daily Mail

Daily Mirror

Daily Star

Daily Telegraph

Financial Times

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Metro

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Times