Belfast stabbing latest: Several homes on fire as protesters clash with police after knife attack – UK Times

John Finucan, the Sinn Féin MP for north Belfast, urges people to “back away from civil disorder”, saying it “serves absolutely nobody”.

“Anybody who truly cares about the victim of this attack, about his friends and his family, about the residents who had to witness this, those who intervened – if those people are truly your focus then we must respect the rule of law,” he says.

Residents are being removed from houses which have caught fire in Lendrick Street in east Belfast.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service officers attended the scene on Tuesday night.

Images from the streets of Belfast show large groups congregating in the road and smoke billowing out of a small business.

Locals tells Sky News the affected building is a Middle Eastern supermarket.

Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long has said “hate cannot be allowed” to win, as disorder broke out in a number of areas following a knife attack in Belfast on Monday.

Ms Long said: “Earlier today, I stood beside the First Minister, deputy First Minister and the PSNI Chief Constable and we appealed for calm.

“Sadly, there are those who have chosen to ignore those pleas; they are intent on wreaking destruction on the very communities they claim they are trying to protect.

“They are weaponising the genuine hurt, concern and anger that people are feeling for their own misguided purposes.

“There is no place for masked thugs to take to the streets and threaten, intimidate, disrupt and cause wanton damage – it is simply disingenuous to claim this is being carried out for the good of Northern Ireland.

“I would appeal once again to communities not to allow themselves to be used and abused in this manner. Disorder on the streets, such as we are seeing tonight, is diverting valuable police resources away from those who genuinely need them. These are not the actions of people who genuinely care about their communities.

“While I recognise and understand the concerns following on from the attack in north Belfast, hate cannot be allowed to win.”

Footage shared on Sky News shows the moment flames engulfed at least one home in a row of terraced houses in Belfast tonight.

Before firefighters arrived, members of the public could be seen shouting through letter boxes to warn residents over the blaze.

Firefighters then arrived and began tackling the fire with with water hoses. A group of people can be seen standing a safe distance away.

A senior officer has said police are dealing with “sporadic pockets of disorder” following a knife attack in Belfast on Monday night.

Petrol bombs have been thrown at police cars at Cloughfern in Newtownabbey, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

Images from the scene show a large group of masked people looking on at a police Land Rover, with the bonnet covered in flame.

Firefighters in Newtownards Road in Belfast are holding back for now, letting wheelie bin fires burn instead of approaching the crowd of masked youngsters.

The police are also staying back in an attempt to avoid clashes.

Three cars in Belfast were also alight, after a bus was burnt out.

Two cars parked in a private drive and one parked in the road nearby were burning as darkness fell.