As is so often the case following riots, attention on symptoms drowns out discussion about the cause. This pattern has been evident this week, as unrest in Belfast erupted after a man was stabbed. The alleged attacker was arrested and charged but, following the news that he was allegedly an immigrant, mobs roamed Belfast for days, committing horrendous acts of violence and intimidation. This violence, while quite rightly widely condemned, has allowed politicians to avoid awkward questions raised by the immigration status of the alleged attacker. Having reportedly entered the island of Ireland via Dublin, the case has reopened questions about which border truly exercises control over migration for Northern Ireland.

The fact that the alleged attacker entered via the Republic of Ireland is challenging for Irish politicians. In 2024, Helen McEntee, then Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration – Ireland’s equivalent to the Home Secretary – claimed that around 80 per cent of asylum applicants in Ireland came from the United Kingdom. This figure has been repeated by other politicians, and the Irish government maintain that a majority of asylum seekers enter from the UK.

No one in Britain is seriously advocating reopening the question of a hard border

No one in Britain is seriously advocating reopening the question of a hard........

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