Thousands march against racism in Belfast after stabbing unrest
An estimated 3,000 people gathered outside Belfast City Hall on Saturday to denounce anti-immigrant violence that erupted earlier in the week. The riots on Tuesday and Wednesday followed a viral video of a knife attack in which a 30-year-old Sudanese national was charged with attempted murder. The victim, a 44-year-old man, sustained serious injuries and was left partly blind.
Protesters held placards condemning the masked men who set homes ablaze, torched vehicles, and pelted police with bottles, bricks, and Molotov cocktails. Signs read "Hate is the only threat to our streets" and "Belfast stands against racism." Elaine Crory, a lobbyist from the Women's Resource and Development agency, told the crowd that a single crime by a non-white person reignites racism in the city.
Belfast Mayor Rois-Maire Donnelly addressed the crowd and said a small minority could not be allowed to "spread fear and hatred." Donnelly said she had received death threats that week. Anti-racism demonstrations also took place in Glasgow, Scotland, though a small group of men made Nazi-style salutes at that march. Glasgow police reported the protest passed "without major incident."
Italy's far-right migration push draws dueling crowds
Tens of thousands of people filled Rome's streets on Saturday for rival demonstrations over migration policy. An anti-migration march in the Prati neighborhood drew several thousand participants, while a competing pro-migration event in a separate part of the city attracted tens of thousands. Thousands of police were deployed to keep the groups apart and ensure no violence erupted.
The demonstrations followed a citizens' initiative petition named "Remigration and Reconquest," which gathered the 50,000 signatures needed to trigger parliamentary discussion. The proposal seeks sweeping measures targeting foreigners, including coercive returns to their countries of origin. Luca Marsella, spokesman for the neofascist group Casapound, said at the anti-migrant rally: "We want to kick the illegal immigrants out—force them out, because they shouldn't be here. And since we're not politically correct, we'll say we want to send the legal immigrants home, too."
Many participants in the anti-migration march raised their arms in fascist salutes and shouted "Duce," referencing Benito Mussolini. The term "remigration" has been used by far-right groups across Europe in recent years as part of calls to curb immigration and reduce the number of foreign migrants, including through deportation.
Coalition tensions over the migration bill
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition faces internal divisions over the petition. The anti-migration League party supports opening discussion on the proposal, while Meloni's Brothers of Italy and centrist coalition partners have been more cautious about endorsing a measure linked to extremist circles. Critics, including opposition parties and legal experts, argue the proposal would violate Italy's constitution and EU law by targeting people based on ethnic background, including naturalized citizens and their descendants.
Angelo Bonelli, a left-wing politician, said the bill "invokes a logic of exclusion based on ethnic and cultural background that is incompatible with the Italian constitution and the fundamental principles of the rule of law." Meanwhile, Meloni's government has pursued a parallel policy of expanding legal migration to address labor shortages. From 2023 to 2025, Italy approved entry for 452,000 non-EU workers. Rome's police commissioner, Roberto Massucci, said thousands of officers were deployed "to facilitate the spaces of freedom and freedom of expression" at Saturday's demonstrations.
