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Children as young as 13 and 14 were among those arrested following Friday night’s rioting in a loyalist area of Belfast, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said.
Fifteen police officers were injured on Friday evening after being targeted in Sandy Row by a crowd of mostly young people throwing bottles, bricks and fireworks.
“It’s a tragedy that any child, because let’s bear in mind a 13-year-old is a young child, I think it’s a tragedy that any child in Northern Ireland is sitting in a custody suite this morning, and facing criminal investigation, possibility of being charged and possibility of facing a criminal conviction,” Chief Superintendent Simon Walls said.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday afternoon, he urged anyone with influence in the loyalist community to dissuade young people from causing violence and harm.
“It shouldn’t happen. And that’s why I’m very keen that people with influence try to ask anyone intent on violence to please step back. It’s not the way to resolve tensions or arguments.”
A 13-year-old boy is among eight people arrested in connection with the disturbances. Heavy masonry, metal rods, fireworks and manhole covers were thrown at police.
The North’s First Minister, Arlene Foster of the DUP, has appealed to young people not to get “drawn into disorder” over the Easter weekend, saying violence “will not make things better”.
She said: “I know that many of our young people are hugely frustrated by the events of this last week but causing injury to police officers will not make things better.
“And I send my strong support to all of the rank and file police officers that are on duty over this Easter weekend. I appeal to our young people not to get drawn into disorder which will lead to them having criminal convictions and blighting their own lives.”
She also asked parents to “play their part and be proactive in protecting their young adults”.
Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin said unionist and loyalist political leaders needed to calm down the situation in Northern Ireland and ensure there is no repeat of Friday’s night’s disturbance.
Mr Ó Broin said unionists politicians had been “ratcheting up the rhetoric” around the Northern Ireland Protocol for a number of weeks, and loyalist organisations organising protests, “and they you have this street violence”.
“The real losers in this in the first instance are the young people who are now arrested and are going to have criminal records, are the communities in Sandy Row and the village who have to get up today and clean up their community.
“And then the political stability of what is a very precarious position in the minute in the North.”
Asked by Katie Hannon on RTÉ Radio One if Sinn Féin had done enough in the aftermath of growing tensions following a controversial decision not to prosecute 24 Sinn Féin politicians for attending a the funeral of senior republican Bobby Storey during Covid-19 restrictions, he said: “People have got things wrong and I think Michelle’s [O’NEILL’S]statement at the time made that very clear.
“But what also then happened was people rightly then called for a PSNI investigation. A report was then forwarded to the Public Prosecution Service. They have made their recommendations and their recommendations are not to proceed with prosecutions.”
He said political leaders, including Sinn Féin, had to ensure they did everything to manage the public health message correctly.
“We need everybody to work together to calm the situation, particularly in terms of how some unionists are using the issue of the Protocol in very, very questionable ways politically.”
Earlier, the Northern Secretary Brandon Lewis appealed for calm , describing the unrest as “completely unacceptable”.
“Violence is never the answer. There is no place for it in society. It is unwanted, unwarranted and I fully support the PSNI appeal for calm,” Mr Lewis said.
He added that his thoughts were with the eight officers injured.
The trouble came after four successive nights of disturbances in the mostly unionist Waterside area of Derry.
The disorder has flared amid ongoing tensions within loyalism across Northern Ireland.
Some loyalists and unionists are angry about post-Brexit trading arrangements which they claim have created barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
All the main unionist parties have demanded the resignation of PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne, claiming he has lost the confidence of their community, over how the Storey’s funeral was dealt with by the police.
In a statement on the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Twitter account, Chief Supt Walls called for calm.
“Eight officers have so far been injured after being subjected to a sustained attack by rioters who have thrown a number of objects at police, including heavy masonry, metal rods, fireworks and manhole covers,” he said.
“Their injuries include burns, head and leg injuries. Seven people have been arrested at the scene.
“I am appealing to all those involved to stop this appalling behaviour immediately. Police are trying to protect those living in the Shaftesbury Square, Donegall Road and Sandy Row areas and it is completely unacceptable that my officers are coming under sustained attack.
“I would encourage anyone who has influence to use it now and stop the rioting before anyone else is injured, or worse.
“Local communities do not want to be dragged back to the past. They deserve to live in safe and peaceful areas, free from rioting, violence and wanton destruction of their communities.”
The incident on Friday evening started in the Shaftesbury Square area before moving into nearby Sandy Row.
The Sandy Row disturbances, which unfolded ahead of a planned loyalist protest in the area, were met with widespread political condemnation on Friday night. However, unionist leaders were accused of creating the febrile atmosphere and stoking up tensions.
Alliance Justice Minister Naomi Long said: “This is in no-one’s best interests - not the officers dealing with it and not the mostly young people risking their futures by engaging in it.
“It’s incumbent on leaders to behave responsibly and dial down the inflammatory rhetoric over recent days. Words have consequences.”
Disorder
SDLP South Belfast MP Claire Hanna tweeted: “Sad to see disorder in Sandy Row. Usual suspects with no vision whip up tension for electoral gain, which they never use to improve life for those they pretend to represent. History repeats, people lose hope, kids get criminal records, communities pull apart. There’s a better way.”
DUP MLA for the area Christopher Stalford said: “Given the actions of the Deputy First Minister some folks may believe that they can break the rules.
“That is not the case — two wrongs don’t make a right.
“The vast majority of people involved in this incident were under the age of 18.
“I do not want to see young people, acting out of frustration at recent developments landing themselves in trouble with the law and ending up with criminal records.
“Everyone must be equal under the law and equally subject to it, from the highest office holder in the land to every other citizen.”
Sinn Féin MP for West Belfast Paul Maskey said: “The DUP and political unionism are failing unionist working class communities through their dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric which is continuing to lead to heightened tensions.
“This is a time for calm heads and responsible leadership.
“I appeal to the DUP and political unionism to show leadership, to end their dangerous rhetoric and to ensure there is an urgent de-escalation of tensions.”
In response to the incident, Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie tweeted: “Stop please....... this is not going to help anyone or change anything. It damages and endangers your own community, it undermines any grievance you might have and it will achieve nothing.”
The Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, tweeted: “Once again the outworkings of political flux in Northern Ireland results in our PoliceServiceNI colleagues being attacked.
“No excuse for violence and condemnation across the political spectrum would be welcome.”– PA