Violence of this kind is not wanted in our city, and our thoughts today are with the victim and his family, those who witnessed this incident and those who intervened.

This incident has caused real distress and fear, and we encourage people not to share any footage of the incident, due to its graphic nature, and to avoid any further trauma to those involved.

All parties support the PSNI as they continue their investigation into this attack and we urge anyone with information or footage to come forward to them, so the full facts can be established.

Belfast is a proud city, built on community, compassion and mutual respect.

There is no place for violence and hatred in any form in Belfast. We appeal for everyone to unite behind this message and to give the PSNI the space needed to carry out their investigation.