Taoiseach tells Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson to ‘butt out’ of Belfast tensions

Taoiseach says online commentary from outside Ireland is fuelling tensions following days of unrest in Belfast

Police fire a water cannon towards rioters after they set fire to wheelie bins and removed a garden fence to use as a shield against the water cannon on Antrim Road, at the Sandyknowes roundabout in Newtownabbey. Picture: PA/PA Wire

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said online agitators such as Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson need to “butt out” of ongoing tensions following Monday’s knife attack in Belfast.

Mr Martin, speaking to the media in Limerick on Thursday morning, made the comments after a second night of unrest in Northern Ireland in the wake of Monday’s stabbing incident.

A water cannon was deployed on Wednesday night after Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee, was charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie.

The Taoiseach was asked about online posts by figures including Mr Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of social media platform X, and far-right anti-immigration campaigner Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

Protesters set fire to a barricade as police block Antrim Road, at the Sandyknowes roundabout in Newtownabbey. Picture date: Wednesday June 10, 2026.

“I think it’s unacceptable, and they need to butt out really, because I think we need to deal with this within legal frameworks,” Mr Martin said.

“People are entitled to comment but the pile on that has been happening in recent times, not just in the context of this event but other events, is creating tensions that are not helpful and are stoking people’s emotions.” 

While stressing he was not referring specifically to Mr Musk’s account, Mr Martin said a significant amount of misinformation is being spread online, with more than 50% of online traffic relating to recent events originating outside Ireland.

“That is a concern, and tensions are being raised and stoked deliberately,” he said.

“I have no issue with calm discussion, and everyone has been entitled to argue their points, but in situations where people are being burnt out of their homes, we must do everything we possibly can to point people in the right direction, in terms of calmness, in terms of working with the police, and the Garda Síochána here, and indeed ensuring that the democratically elected representatives hold sway.” 

He noted that all political leaders in Northern Ireland had condemned the violence of recent days, “and rightly so”.

Bins set alight by protesters on Ligoniel Road, Belfast, as disorder flared during an anti-immigration demonstration organised in response to Monday night's stabbing attack in the city. Picture: PA

Mr Martin said that while he could understand how “any right-thinking person” might be angered by a violent attack such as that suffered by Mr Ogilvie, the unrest that followed was unacceptable.

“There can be no justification for the burning of people out of their homes, and if one reads the individual accounts of families who had to leave their homes in Belfast with young children, that’s an experience we don’t want to see again,” he said.

The Taoiseach said he intended to speak with UK prime minister Keir Starmer about the violence of recent days.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said 12 officers were injured during Wednesday night’s unrest, some after being struck by petrol bombs.

In addition to deploying a water cannon, the PSNI fired 20 attenuating energy projectiles, commonly known as baton rounds or rubber bullets.

Sixteen people were arrested during the disorder.