World News for Students of English

15-06-2026 07:00

People gathered for a second night of violent protests in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The trouble started after a 44-year-old local man was attacked with a knife by an immigrant from Sudan. The man hurt his neck and lost his left eye.

After the attack, angry people began rioting in the streets. They threw bricks and bottles at the police and burned cars and houses. Police officers had to use a water cannon to drive the large crowd away from a main road. The city of Belfast shut down early; schools, shops, and workplaces closed by lunchtime, and public transport stopped running. The city center was empty because people went home early to stay safe.

Political leaders said that there was no reason for such big protests. The family of the hurt man also asked for calm. They thanked the local people who helped save his life during the attack, but they said they don’t want this sad event to cause hate against other groups or migrants.

Difficult words: gather (to come together in one place to form a group), violent (using physical force to hurt people or damage things), riot (a noisy, violent situation where a large crowd fights in a public place and destroys things).

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