White Supremacist Youth Group Helped Organize Belfast Riots, WIRED Reports
8 reported
A WIRED investigation reports that the white supremacist Active Club movement and its Youth Club wing helped orchestrate violent protests in Belfast following a knife attack on Monday night. The article states that far-right UK activist Tommy Robinson shared a video of the incident on X, which received 6 million views, and that Elon Musk agreed with a post calling for “consequences” for politicians. By Tuesday evening, masked rioters set fire to vehicles, kicked in doors of homes believed to house immigrants, and set those homes on fire. WIRED documented how the global network activated within hours, with groups in the US promoting the violence. The movement is analyzing the protests as a template for others, highlighting the “organisation and professionalism” of those involved. The article notes that politicians criticized Musk and Robinson, but no one appeared to notice the role of the Active Club movement. The source is a single WIRED investigation.
What’s reported
A knife attack occurred in Belfast on Monday night, leaving Stephen Ogilvie hospitalized with severe injuries to the face and neck, including loss of his left eye.
Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, was arrested and charged with attempted murder.
Tommy Robinson shared a video of the incident on X, which received 6 million views.
Elon Musk agreed with a post calling for “consequences” for politicians.
By Tuesday evening, violent protests broke out in Belfast with masked rioters setting vehicles and homes on fire.
The Ulster Youth Club, a branch of the Active Club movement, advised protesters to protect their identities and shared guidance on clothing and avoiding smartphones.
Will2Rise, a hate group founded by Robert Rundo, published a newsletter framing the incident in racist terms.
The Active Club movement conducted a postmortem, concluding the protests were a “massive success” and comparing them favorably to protests in Southampton.
Key figures
Tommy Robinson: far-right UK activist
Elon Musk: owner of X
Stephen Ogilvie: victim of the knife attack
Hadi Alodid: suspect charged with attempted murder
Wendy Via: cofounder and president of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism
Robert Rundo: founder of Active Club network and Will2Rise
Sources: Wired
