Special Report: Belfast riots - how Elon Musk is stoking a new wave of British violence

About this episode

The episode covers the recent riots in Belfast and discusses the role of Elon Musk in escalating tensions.

Belfast was ablaze last night, 24 hours after the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie. Houses, cars and buses were set on fire during riots across the city. It has since been announced that Ogilvie has lost an eye in the attack and 30-year-old Hadi Alodid has been charged with his attempted murder. The British government are laying at least some of the blame at the door of X owner Elon Musk, accusing him of whipping up tensions online ahead of the disorder. Lewis is on the ground in Belfast with Andy Hughes from The Crime Agents with a special report on the events that unfolded last night. Later, Jon and Emily speak with journalist and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, who discusses how Musk and the far right have whipped up rioters and encouraged violence on the streets of Northern Ireland. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

People in this episode

Hosts: Lewis, Jon, Emily

Guests: Andy Hughes, Mehdi Hasan

Topics covered

• Belfast riots
• Elon Musk
• British violence
• political tensions
• Northern Ireland
• media influence

Keywords

• Belfast
• riots
• Elon Musk
• violence
• Northern Ireland
• Stephen Ogilvie
• Hadi Alodid
• politics
• media

Sponsors

HSBC UK

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Elon Musk, The Crime Agents

More episodes of The News Agents

• Starmer in shambles: Can he last the week? · June 12, 2026 · 41 min
• Is John Healey’s resignation a fatal blow for Keir Starmer? · June 11, 2026 · 34 min
• Visas, Tickets... Trump: Why this World Cup feels hard to love? - The Sports Agents · June 11, 2026 · 40 min
• Is Britain really the least racist country on earth? · June 9, 2026 · 43 min
• Is Trump impotent? · June 8, 2026 · 35 min
• Wes Streeting on why Keir Starmer cannot save himself or his country · June 5, 2026 · 1h 24m