Police were warned for months about addresses targeted in Belfast riots
Exclusive: Monitoring group warned PSNI for eight months after far-right networks began circulating so-called hitlist of addresses
TL;DR
- A monitoring group, Accountability Project Northern Ireland, sent dozens of reports to the PSNI between November 2025 and June 2026.
- These reports warned of anti-immigration activists targeting houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and circulating 'hitlists' of addresses.
- The PSNI received a 'hitlist' in January 2026, containing addresses that were later targeted in the Belfast riots.
- The monitoring group noted increasingly hostile and racially charged language used online against asylum seekers and refugees.
- Despite warnings, including concerns about minority ethnic communities stockpiling food, riots broke out.
- The tactics used in the riots are described as similar to those seen in Northern Ireland since the 1970s, including roadblocks and ID-checking cars.