The Christian Response to Immigration Riots in Northern Ireland
Published June 10, 2026
All of this has followed the dreadful attempted murder, according to reports, at the hands of an immigrant to our shores.
Our prayers are with the victim. We also pray that the perpetrator will face trial and the full force of the judicial system for this dreadful act of barbarity.
As a consequence, much of the fear and suspicion that many people already feel concerning immigration has risen to the surface.
Let us be clear. Uncontrolled immigration presents challenges. It is an issue that governments must address. There are legitimate questions surrounding borders, integration, housing, public services and the rule of law. The British Government does have to take responsibility for its failings to create community cohesion and alleviate the fears of local populations. Such a policy has helped to feed the fear and mistrust which such an outrage sparks into uncontrolled fury.
But are we to take these concerns out upon the many foreign nationals who live among us?
Is that right?
Can it ever be right to attack innocent people, to intimidate families, to burn property, or to bring carnage onto our streets?
The answer is no.
The Word of God says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers” (Romans 13:1). Again, speaking of the civil authority, Paul writes, “For he beareth not the sword in vain” (Romans 13:4). God has ordained government to maintain order and administer justice. The state bears the sword; the mob does not.
Whatever frustrations people may feel, lawlessness can never be excused. No-one is at liberty to take the law into their own hands or to terrorise people on the basis of their ethnicity or country of origin.
But there is another aspect to all of this that we must consider.
