The Lord Mayor of Belfast said she has received death threats amid violent disorder following the stabbing attack in the city.

Sinn Féin's Róis-Máire Donnelly said she was visited by the police on Tuesday night and advised to take extra precautions around her personal security.

Ms Donnelly also urged the people of Belfast to reject violence following rioting on Tuesday night in which mobs set homes, a bus and cars on fire, with people targeted based on their race.

In a statement, she said: "I want to make it clear that these threats will not deter me from fulfilling my role as mayor of this great city.

"I will continue to represent everyone. I want to express my full solidarity with the victim of the vicious attack in north Belfast on Monday evening, and also with the community heroes who intervened and saved the victim's life. They deserve our enormous gratitude for their heroic actions.

"Belfast is home to many people who have come here from other countries and who have made this city their home, who have worked hard, who have looked after our friends and family in our hospitals in their time of need, who have opened businesses and created jobs, and who have become valued members of our community.

"We must stand with these people now in their time of need. Those people who took part in violent racist attacks and destruction last night should be ashamed."

On Wednesday, Hadi Alodid, 30, was remanded in custody after appearing in court in Belfast charged with attempted murder over Monday's knife attack in which victim Stephen Ogilvie lost an eye.

The unrest in Belfast has been widely condemned by politicians and authorities across the UK, while pleas have been made for calm on Wednesday night.

Ms Donnelly added: "Burning family homes, burning businesses, burning buses and cars, destroying all round them. Young children being evacuated from their home carrying their teddy bears.

"It is disgraceful and disgusting. It is racism, it is intimidation and it is absolute thuggery.

"I call on those involved in this violence to stop, and stop now. You do not represent Belfast."

Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O'Neill said the threat was "totally unacceptable".

Stormont's First Minister Ms O'Neill and Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey joined Ms Donnelly outside Belfast City Hall on Wednesday to speak to reporters about the development.

"This isn't acceptable," said Ms O'Neill.

"This is the mayor of Belfast, who represents all the people here, who's only been installed 10 days ago, and who wants to be inclusive and welcoming and reach out to everybody.

"But yet, she's in her first short week in office and she's been visited by the PSNI to say her life is under threat. That is not acceptable, and if anybody thinks that makes their community safer, it beggars belief to me.

"So, it's totally unacceptable. And obviously, we stand in solidarity with the mayor here today."

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There have been 35 arrests made and 23 people charged to date after disorder broke out following the Belfast stabbing last Monday.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) released the figures as it defended its approach to policing the violence that erupted after a knife attack in north Belfast in which the victim lost an eye.

Homes, a bus and cars were set on fire in Belfast and elsewhere as people were targeted based on their race.

A week on from the disorder, senior officers defended the PSNI's approach to tackling the disorder and said its officers had "undoubtedly saved lives".

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson rejected claims its response was "anything other than appropriate" and praised the work of officers, 42 of whom were injured during violence that erupted last week.

"Within 24 hours of the attempted murder of the man in Kinnaird Avenue, police officers had arrested and charged a man in relation to this horrendous attack," he said.

"That day, we extensively appealed for calm and to allow justice to take its course. Sadly, what we saw following was inexcusable lawlessness and disorder across Belfast and beyond.

"Our officers worked under incredibly challenging conditions to calm disorder, protect lives and restore calm.

"During the peak of the disorder, people intent on chaos came out to burn homes and cars with people fleeing.

"Police officers were first to many of these scenes and helped people to safety, including a two-month-old baby.

"Responsibility for the violence, criminal damage, intimidation and disorder lies squarely with those who came out on the streets.

"Throughout this time, our officers have worked around the clock to protect life, prevent further harm and facilitate lawful, peaceful protests."

He paid tribute to the officers for their display of "unwavering professionalism, courage, and resolve".

"Once again putting themselves in harm's way to keep people safe resulting in unacceptable injuries to 42 of them – they are a credit to us all," he said.

"Throughout the disorder, there has been extreme, anti-immigration disinformation on social media, underscoring the reality that there are those in society who seek to use any incident in our communities to create misunderstanding, generate fear and provoke anti-migrant sentiment.

"We have been working night and day to ensure those who chose to bring violence to our streets are brought to justice.

"To date, there have been 35 arrests and 23 people charged to court by the Public Order Enquiry Team.

"The charges are for a number of offences including riotous behaviour, attempted criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of an article with intent to damage property, disorderly behaviour and assault on a police-designated person.

"Those responsible will face the full force of the law."

He added: "There can be no justification for the violence and disorder we have seen last week. The public can be reassured that they will continue to see a heightened police presence in towns and cities, and engagement will continue as we work to keep people safe.

"Our increased presence and engagement in local communities includes communicating through digital channels to ensure anyone caught up in potential disorder thinks again and walks away.

"We would also repeat our appeal to anyone who has been the victim of, or has any information on, any crime to contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. We can assure you that we will always act on concerns and information we receive."

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Stormont's health minister has said the violence that erupted last week was a "stain on Northern Ireland's reputation, locally, nationally and internationally".

Northern Ireland made global headlines when a knife attack in north Belfast sparked days of disorder and what police said were racially-motivated attacks. A man has been charged with attempted murder.

Homes, businesses and vehicles were targeted and police were attacked. More than 30 people have been arrested.

International healthcare workers have told BBC News NI they faced intimidation and some feared for their safety. "If they were not with us our health service would collapse and people would die unnecessarily," Mike Nesbitt said.

In the latest incidents, two people were injured after being attacked by a group of men as they were leaving a house on Donegall Avenue in south Belfast early on Sunday morning.

A woman and a number of young children were inside the house during the attack, which police are treating as a racially-motivated hate crime.

Meanwhile, police have said they are also treating an arson attack at a house in Ballysillan, north Belfast, early on Sunday morning as a racially-motivated hate crime.

The house was damaged but no one was injured.

Local resident Blair Paxford witnessed the attack - and said the resident in the house was "throwing flaming curtains out the window".

"It was just horrible to see in the community. You feel very unsafe in your own home."

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme earlier, Nesbitt pointed to a family, whose picture had been shown around the world, bundled into the back of a police vehicle as they fled their home.

"Their mum was a nurse," he said.

He referred to the "wonderful international colleagues who prop up the health service", adding that he met healthcare workers at the Mater Hospital in Belfast on Friday and heard some "horrendous stories".

"Some young nurses had to negotiate their way to work past the rioters who were manning barricades around Carlisle Circus, close to the Mater Hospital."

Nesbitt said international workers made up 85% of the workforce of some care homes but he had been told some were "wondering whether it's worth their while staying in Northern Ireland because of the fear".

He added that healthcare workers from other countries were "welcome, essential" and "we very much value the contribution they make in health and social care".

"I thank them for what they do, I reassure them that we and the police, and society generally value them, want them to stay, but I also perfectly understand if they think in terms of assessing their safety they need to step away, I couldn't blame them."

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Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said on Friday that police would "strive to deliver justice for those who have been affected by the disorder, racially-motivated attacks and hate-filled social media posts".

Police have said 42 officers were injured during the disorder.

On Saturday, thousands of people gathered at an anti-racism protest in Belfast.

Speaking during Mass in Lurgan on Sunday, Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said the violence was "outrageous".

Martin praised the "tremendous gifts" brought to sectors like health and hospitality by people from other countries and said racism was a "grave sin".

What are people doing to help?

North Belfast group Anaka Women's Collective has supported people since the disorder broke out, providing accommodation, meals and transport.

Organiser Elfie Seymour said people were asking for support "every few minutes" on a WhatsApp group they set up, and they have housed over 200 families or helped them get emergency housing.

"We had the emergency response group which was literally like 'someone is attacking my house, I need help, I live at this address, people just need to get there as soon as possible' - helping families literally get out of houses that were on fire in certain areas in north Belfast," Seymour said.

They have also had requests from people who needed to get to hospital appointments, whose children needed to get to exams, or who needed food, electricity or gas - but were scared to leave their houses.

Seymour said people were "absolutely terrified" and the fear that had "taken a hold" was "devastating".

With the support of The People's Kitchen, the organisation's volunteers spent Sunday preparing, cooking and delivering home-cooked meals to displaced migrant families.

"If you look about around who's cooking today, it's migrants and people who live here who have a personal risk actually just coming out of their house and coming into a building to cook," Seymour added.

Hossam Hamid, a volunteer with Anaka, moved to Northern Ireland three years ago from Sudan.

He said he "really likes" living in Belfast, but the events of this week had left him "sad" and "scared".

It was organisations like Anaka that made him feel supported.

"I really want to show that other people, we are [here to] support you."

'Horrendous week for Belfast'

Independent councillor Paul McCusker, who heads up the People's Kitchen on the Antrim Road, described the week's events as "the most horrendous week for Belfast that we've ever seen".

"We were responding to support nurses from the Mater Hospital, not too far from here. I left the People's Kitchen to transport nurses home," he said.

McCusker, a former nurse himself, said he has worked with "incredible" nurses but some had told him they now want to leave Northern Ireland.

"People need to understand that when you're attacking these families, that person could be looking after your mother or father next week."

He has called for an "urgent" cross-government meeting to take place in the wake of the violence.

Seymour said local communities now needed to rally behind displaced migrant families with "solidarity" and "kindness".

"We need to be louder than those people who are rioting on the streets and show people in our communities that they're not alone and that we want them to be here and we want them to feel safe - because we are going to lose a massive amount of incredible people from our communities.

"And I don't even want to say that because then it's like people have won, but we cannot let this fear win."

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The First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, has described reports that police instructed some nurses from a minority background to show their ID to masked men before accessing their workplace as "disgusting".

Violence erupted across Belfast last week which saw people's homes, businesses and vehicles attacked and healthcare workers targeted in racist attacks.

Disorder was sparked after footage of a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday night, which left the victim with serious injuries, was shared widely on social media. A man has been charged with attempted murder.

The PSNI said it is checking records from Tuesday to establish if they can "identify any specific reports".

'Must be serious investigation'

Many of the protests passed peacefully but elsewhere there were people who engaged in racist violence.

International healthcare workers have told BBC News NI they faced intimidation and some feared for their safety.

"If they were not with us, our health service would collapse and people would die unnecessarily," Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt said that he heard from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable about a nurse who had to "negotiate her her own way through the rioters" at Carlisle Circus in north Belfast, which is close to the Crumlin Road, where the Mater Hospital is located.

Speaking in the assembly he said "that's not right to my mind, not right at all," and added that Jon Boutcher "took that very seriously indeed".

Also speaking at Stormont, O'Neill said she intends to raise the matter with the chief constable.

She said that if any health care worker was advised by police to show ID to masked men it was "vile and disgusting" and there must be a "serious investigation".

"No nurse or person going into their workplace should have to stop at any mob and give their ID - that's absolutely disgraceful."

"I think we have to get to the bottom of whether or not that did happen.

"I put it directly to the chief constable who in the first instance dismissed it but then when I went back to him again he had to take on board that actually, both myself and the health minister were told this by members of staff," she added.

In a statement on Monday evening, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said that he and his teams have been "working directly" with health trusts and the independent health sector to "listen to their worries and see how we could help".

"On the first night of the disorder police were dealing with multiple seats of violence and protest activity across Greater Belfast and beyond," he added.

"We did receive reports of vehicles being stopped by masked individuals in the Greater Belfast area.

"Officers responded immediately and a significant mobile policing presence was maintained for a period of time to provide reassurance and prevent the commission of offences."

He said police had "committed significant resources to being in the vicinity of our hospitals to reassure and protect staff".

Henderson added that police are "aware of reports circulating that police officers may have advised nursing staff outside the Mater Hospital to show their ID to masked men" and that they are checking their records of Tuesday evening to "establish if we can identify any specific reports".

He said he had also "engaged directly with the chief executive of the Belfast Trust and with senior staff at the Mater Hospital in order to obtain any specific examples they might be aware of".

"No one has come to police directly at this stage and we would urge anyone who experienced this or who has information to contact us on 101," Henderson said.

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine broke down in tears in the assembly on Thursday while discussing the racial abuse of minority and ethnic health care workers.

She spoke about being cared for in hospital by international nurses and doctors after giving birth to her daughter, who has a heart defect.

She said while she understood the rights of people to protest, violence is "wrong" and that she wanted all those international health care staff to feel valued and protected in work.

Alliance MLA and policing board member Nuala McAllister said that she had spoken to the police on Monday and they had assured her they were taking the claims "very, very seriously".

"As a policing board member, we will be able to examine this in more detail in coming weeks," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.

She said it was important that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) "are seen to uphold rule of law", but added that the police "had a tough job last week" and commended their actions "which they were taking in order to keep people safe".

There have been a string of racist attacks in Northern Ireland over the past week, including an attack on two homes in Belfast over the weekend.

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