Belfast another appalling attack, we need to ask what is driving this.

You can’t fight fire with fire, and I feel sorry for the people of Belfast tonight suffering violent protests that won’t help the poor victim or his loved ones, or help the police investigate this terrible case, the only thing it might achieve are more injuries or worse.
A terrible state of affairs.

Wyllows post gave detailed reasons about not excusing but understanding casdon.

Oh there will be arrests I have no doubt, then there will be diversity is our strength, more united than divided, something about controlling social media, and it will work as well as the last time.

Who by Galaxy?

Yet we are being asked to understand the sad feelings of a man who attempted to behead another.

Galaxy

Presumably we should also understand the people protesting tonight, after all they have just witnessed a beheading on their streets.

The hundreds protesting tonight did not witness the attack Galaxy a few people did and no, I don’t understand children throwing flares at the police, others setting fire to private vehicles and an attempt to set fire to a HMO. Many of the people popping on their balaclavas ready by their front doors.

Galaxy

Presumably we should also understand the people protesting tonight, after all they have just witnessed a beheading on their streets.

I doubt whether those protesting witnessed anything, they heard about it in the media I would think?

It won’t be until the cold light of day sees plenty of them in court for other violent acts, carried out to protest against this violent act, that the light will dawn for those individuals sadly. That is so often the way for protests.

Just been reading that the victim was a vulnerable, deaf person whose neighbours looked out for him. He may now lose his sight it is reported on FB.

I think there was confusion as the police initially stated he was Somalian.

Sago

Mollygo

Casdon
There has also been no discussion about the court case this week of the two teenagers in Barry who randomly stabbed and killed an Asian man who was taking his mother her shopping Kandinsky, although I posted the link to that too.

Jaxjacky
It doesn’t fit with some people’s agenda Casdon

I read that. It’s yet another stabbing, although I’m sure I read that knife crime has gone down.
Another mother deprived of her son and child deprived of father.
This time, described as racist attack.

The post is to ask what was driving the immigrants who go to great lengths to get here to commit these violent crimes.

I am not asking about our homegrown criminals of which there are plenty.

I asked AI that specific question.

‘Evidence does not suggest that asylum seekers commit crimes at higher rates than the general population. While government bodies in the UK and globally often do not collate specific crime statistics specifically by "asylum seeker" status, comprehensive research and prison demographic data highlight several key points:

Lower Overall Offending Rates: Studies consistently show that, on average, foreign nationals and immigrants—including refugees—are not overrepresented in overall violent crime rates compared to native-born citizens.
Socioeconomic Factors: Where disparities do appear, they are strongly linked to socioeconomic factors and labor market restrictions rather than nationality.
For example, a 2013 Migration Observatory report noted that because asylum seekers are typically barred from working while their claims are processed, some studies observed a slight, localized increase in low-level property crime, driven primarily by restricted economic opportunity rather than violent tendencies.
Age & Demographic Factors: Criminologists emphasize that the crime rate is heavily influenced by age and gender. Asylum-seeking populations often contain a higher proportion of young men—a demographic group that statistically has the highest propensity for offending in all populations, including native-born citizens.’

I’m not sure that this answers your question, but I don’t believe that evidence exists to suggest that people come to the UK specifically to commit these crimes. Acts like this are usually not predicted.

The attacker was Sudanese, not Somali. That detail matters a lot if you happen to be Somali. As for the reasons why, we dont know and maybe we'll never know. Could be the rage of someone trying to navigate the system, could be someone who has crossed the line into psychosis, could be a cold hearted killer, could havd been an altetcation of some sort. Could have been mistaken identity. Whatever, that man made a choice and hd is solely responsible for that and I sincrely hopehis asylum is rejected! (Btw. The stockport killer was born long after the genocide and in Cardiff, so no excuses there).
I do feel for every other innocent asylum seeker going about their business today. And the people of Belfast who have had their belly full of troubles.
Three cheers to everyone who intervened.

Presumably we should also understand the people protesting tonight, after all they have just witnessed a beheading on their streets.

No, Sago, you didn't ask specifically about immigrants in your OP. Quite reasonably, posters have mentioned similar crimes carried out by non-immigrants, which don't seem to bother you in the slightest.

In attempting to understand what is happening, posters are giving thought out reasons and comparisons.

It is a mistake to see this as Excusing behavior

If we fail to understand then we are unable to deal with it.

By the way, we also are forgetting that we have a long and proud history of helping people from war torn countries - refugees - who are traumatised by what they have experienced.

I shall draw on people I actually know, and this is from the mental health sector.

A women whose whole family were killed in front of her in Africa came over and I met her working with people as a Mental health Nurse.

and Patients:

A young man from the then war torn Somalia who was so disturbed he tried to eat forks and used to drop on his knees in front of older, grandma type white figures begging forgiveness.

Not because he had done anything bad, but because he had internalised racial hatred against himself and sought forgiveness form those who had pressed his people

A third Muslim who sought me out on an inpatient ward who has also internalised racial hatred and asked me desperately, were the nurses trying to kill him?

A fourth one" a young Pakistani women who went round asking people anxiously did she look better in Pakistani or white clothes. she heard voices and they were of a white women school teacher telling her she was ugly.

What answers have you found so far Sago?

Mollygo

Casdon
There has also been no discussion about the court case this week of the two teenagers in Barry who randomly stabbed and killed an Asian man who was taking his mother her shopping Kandinsky, although I posted the link to that too.

Jaxjacky
It doesn’t fit with some people’s agenda Casdon

I read that. It’s yet another stabbing, although I’m sure I read that knife crime has gone down.
Another mother deprived of her son and child deprived of father.
This time, described as racist attack.

The post is to ask what was driving the immigrants who go to great lengths to get here to commit these violent crimes.

I am not asking about our homegrown criminals of which there are plenty.

It will be quite a complex picture if we get a reform government partly due to cases like this which were signed off by er some of the people in reform.

Sunshinegirls

I think this is the final straw people have had enough. I never voted for this.

Nobody did, but fortunately not everybody relishes a punch up with police and destroying their surroundings.

I think this is the final straw people have had enough. I never voted for this.

Galaxy

I don't think it is unreasonable for people to react to an attempted beheading committed by an asylum seeker. If we don't hear that reaction then we are storing up massive problems.
Anyway he was granted leave to remain by none other than Jenrick, if the dates are right.

It's totally unreasonable for people to make matters worse by causing damage in their own communities. The reasoning is unfathomable to any reasonable human being.

And, it is also fair to point out, again, that just about every day there are murders, rapes and knifing committed by home grown British people.
Each crime is as devastating, as the ones that attract the attention of people like Elon Musk, with his interfering, disrupting agenda.

Galaxy

I don't think it is unreasonable for people to react to an attempted beheading committed by an asylum seeker. If we don't hear that reaction then we are storing up massive problems.
Anyway he was granted leave to remain by none other than Jenrick, if the dates are right.

Of course, it’s not unreasonable to react, I think we all have, because it was a horrific, random attempt on somebody’s life. My nature is to always look at things in the context of the bigger picture though, I can’t help that.

Sorry, more importantly I meant to stay the man with the stick? acted heroically

Wonder how he’s feeling tonight Galaxy?

I don't think it is unreasonable for people to react to an attempted beheading committed by an asylum seeker. If we don't hear that reaction then we are storing up massive problems.
Anyway he was granted leave to remain by none other than Jenrick, if the dates are right.