From the BBC:
“Belfast:
Rioting 'was worst seen in Northern Ireland in years'”
(The gates of
one of Belfast's so-called peace walls were prised open before being set alight)
Rioting in
Belfast on Wednesday night was on a scale not seen in Northern Ireland for
years, police have said. During several hours of violence, police officers were
attacked, petrol bombs were thrown and a bus was burnt. Eight officers were
injured at an interface between loyalist and nationalist areas in west Belfast.
Senior police sources now say there was no evidence of UVF organisational
involvement in last night's trouble in west Belfast. Earlier the Police Service
of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had suspected that individuals within the
paramilitary group had encouraged some of the trouble. However, following the
progress of an investigation, police are now satisfied the group and its
leadership was not involved. Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive said it
was "gravely concerned" by recent street violence and has called for
calm to be restored. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also condemned the
disorder.
How Northern
Ireland's violence unfolded
(More than 50
officers have been hurt in violence in several areas since the end of last
month)
With police
sources linking the violence to the UVF, it means the fingerprints of both main
loyalist paramilitary groups are on separate incidents of street violence which
have erupted since last Friday. Earlier, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable
Jonathan Roberts said it was likely that paramilitary organisations were
involved and had planned the rioting on Wednesday night. "Last night was
at a scale we haven't seen in Belfast or further afield in Northern Ireland for
a number of years," he said. "We are very, very lucky no-one was
seriously injured or killed last night given in particular the large number of
petrol bombs thrown." Police officers were called in from other parts of
Northern Ireland to help to deal with the rioting. More than 50 officers have
been hurt in violence in several areas since the end of last month. The bus
driver whose double-decker was attacked and burned is "very shaken by the
incident but is physically unhurt", according to the public transport
provider Translink.
Analysis box
by Julian O'Neill, NI home affairs correspondent The PSNI is concerned at
the potential for further trouble in the days ahead. According to
police, Wednesday night's trouble involved "equally large numbers on both
sides" of the peaceline at Lanark Way. It is believed the PSNI will
be paying close attention to interface areas and the risk of further clashes
between communities. The activities of dissident Republicans are
monitored as routine and the police are wary of any attempt to escalate the
situation. Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Roberts was asked at a press
conference if he feared weapons could come on to the streets. "Given
the history of Northern Ireland, it is something always in the back of our
minds," he said. Meanwhile, a group linked to the south Belfast UDA
has issued a statement urging calm. "The way forward must be
through politics alone," the message from the Ulster Political Research
Group read. "Rioting, street disturbances and the destruction of
property will not change what must be solved by our political
representatives." It cited the Irish Sea border and policing as the
main problems. The group is associated with the Jackie McDonald, the man
widely regarded as the UDA leader in south Belfast.
The Loyalist
Communities Council, an umbrella body which includes representatives of the UDA
and UVF, was due to meet on Thursday. It has not issued any public statements
since it published a letter it sent to Boris Johnson in March warning of the
danger created by the Irish Sea Border. Some unionists have linked the violence
in recent days to the decision by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) not to
prosecute anyone who attended the funeral of former IRA man Bobby Storey in
June 2020.It was attended by 2,000 mourners - including Deputy First Minister
Michelle O'Neill - at a time when Covid-19 restrictions were in place. They
have also linked it to simmering loyalist tensions over the Irish Sea border
imposed as a result of the UK-EU Brexit deal. In recent days 10 people have
been arrested as a result of rioting by gangs of people, some as young as 13. Prime
Minister Boris Johnson said: "The way to resolve differences is through
dialogue, not violence or criminality."
In a statement,
the White House said it was "concerned by the violence in Northern
Ireland" and joined other leaders in their "steadfast" support
of "a secure and prosperous Northern Ireland in which all communities have
a voice and enjoy the gains of the hard won peace peace". Northern Ireland
Secretary Brandon Lewis travelled to Belfast on Thursday to meet political
parties. Mr Lewis said he was aware of unionist concerns in recent months and
he had been "engaging and listening" them. He denied that the UK
government has abandoned unionists through the new Brexit arrangements. Labour
Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said the violence was "completely
unacceptable" and he called on Mr Johnson to "step up" and
"show leadership". Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin
wrote on social media: "Now is the time for the two governments and
leaders on all sides to work together to defuse tensions and restore
calm." The taoiseach and prime minister spoke on Thursday afternoon. Irish
Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told BBC News NI that polotical leaders need to
come together to make a"clear and strong statement that violence is not
the answer". "This is a time for unity in the face of violence and
concern across Northern Ireland in terms of what's been happening," he
said. All of the main political parties in Northern Ireland have criticised the
disorder but they are divided over its causes.
What is
behind the violence in Northern Ireland? However, after an emergency
meeting of the Northern Ireland Executive, a joint statement was issued from
ministers, saying they were "gravely concerned" by the recent
disorder. "Attacks on police officers, public services and
communities are deplorable and they must stop," they said. "Destruction,
violence and the threat of violence are completely unacceptable and
unjustifiable, no matter what concerns may exist in communities. "Those
who would seek to use and abuse our children and young people to carry out
these attacks have no place in our society."
Analysis box
by Emma Vardy, Ireland correspondent The violence has been brought on by a
combination of factors. Northern Ireland politics and bigger events like
Brexit are all in play here but there is no single straightforward reason. There
is a lot of fury over the attendance of Sinn Féin politicians at a funeral of a
former IRA leader last summer which appeared to blatantly flout Covid-19 rules.
Sinn Féin's most senior politicians, among long lines of former IRA
members, walked through the streets behind a cortege at a time when many people
missed attending funerals for their own loved ones. "Republicans do
what they like and get away with it" has broadly become one of the
narratives being used to justify trouble against the police. However
there were also loyalist funerals which broke rules during the pandemic. Brexit
has been creating tension in loyalist communities for months, with the growing
realisation over just how differently Northern Ireland is now being treated
from the rest of the UK. Signs of anger over the new Irish Sea trade
border are plastered on walls and lampposts in unionist and loyalist areas. In
these areas it feels that Boris Johnson has betrayed Northern Ireland and there
is a backlash. But that isn't all - there are much more localised issues
too. Loyalist paramilitaries have been subject to a series of raids and
arrests for their criminal activities and police believe in some areas these
are the figures in the background helping to encourage trouble. Unionist
Party (DUP) leader and First Minister Arlene Foster - have said PSNI Chief
Constable Simon Byrne should resign over the force's handling of the funeral of
senior republican Bobby Storey in June 2020. Last week a decision was
made not to prosecute senior Sinn Féin members who attended the funeral. Mrs
Foster tweeted on Thursday morning that she had spoken to Mr Byrne in the wake
of the violence, as did Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald. The first
minister had faced criticism for not speaking to the chief constable after the
violence on previous days. Mr Byrne briefed both the Stormont executive
and individual parties. Sinn Féin, the SDLP, and the Alliance Party have
accused unionist politicians of ramping up rhetoric in recent days by calling
for Mr Byrne to stand down. Mark Lindsay, the chairman of the Police
Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said removing the chief
constable "in the middle of a crisis" would not be helpful, although
he said there were "serious issues that need to be addressed".
On Thursday the
Northern Ireland Assembly was recalled for politicians to consider a motion
calling for an "immediate and complete end" to violence in loyalist
areas. Mrs Foster said the violent scenes were unacceptable, and
Northern Ireland is "faced with a number of deep and significant political
challenges in the time ahead, and collectively we must work through those
challenges". Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin
said the violence in Belfast on Wednesday night was a "dangerous
escalation" of events Meanwhile, Education Minister Peter Weir has
confirmed the further reopening of some youth services in response to the
violence. Mr Weir said it would apply in areas of "heightened
community tensions".
^ The Troubles
(1968-1998) may have officially ended 23 years ago, but the violence has long
been just on the surface. This time it is the Protestant Loyalists attacking
the Police and others (because of Brexit and the "hard border"
between N.I and the UK and the "soft border" between N.I. and the R.O.I.)
It was also the
Protestant Loyalists who tried to use a large bomb in Belfast back when I was
there in June 2010 (because British Prime Minister David Cameron had just officially
apologized for the British Military's - Parachute Regiment - 1972 Bloody Sunday
Massacre of 14 innocent and unarmed Catholics with 15 innocent and unarmed Catholics
wounded and the British Government's 38 year cover-up of the truth.) The bomb
never detonated and my Parents and I left Belfast for Londonderry/Derry that
day and then the safety of the Republic of Ireland shortly after.
Unless these
acts get stopped (by the British Authorities, the Irish Authorities, the EU
Authorities, the Northern Irish Protestant Authorities, he Northern Irish
Catholic Authorities and the Americans (all groups involved in the 1998 Good
Friday Peace Accord) then the death and violence of the 30 year Troubles will
return. ^
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