Police came under sustained attack and the victim of a suspected hate crime is in a serious condition in hospital after violence in Belfast on Monday night.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said officers came under sustained attack, and at one stage petrol was poured over a police Land Rover and set alight. Police deployed two attenuating energy projectiles (AEPs), with one rioter struck on the hand. A 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour.
The latest violence began late on Monday in the same area where two businesses were attacked on Saturday following an anti-immigration protest.
Police said attempts were made to set fire to a supermarket which had been targeted on Saturday night, but officers were able to douse the small blaze before it developed.
A smaller protest had taken place on Monday evening in Belfast city centre.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, the PSNI said its officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry and bricks thrown in their direction.
âPetrol was also poured over a police Land Rover and set alight. Thankfully the occupants of the vehicle were not physically harmed and remained on duty,â the force said.
âA member of the public, a man aged in his 30s, was taken to hospital after he was seriously assaulted in the Donegall Road and Oban Street area.
âWitnesses reported seeing his attackers stamp on his head as members of the public attempted to shield him from further attack. His condition is described as serious and we are treating his attack as a hate crime.â
Police said that, at around 5pm on Monday, there was a protest and a counter-protest involving approximately 40 people in the area of Ormeau Avenue.
âA report was then made of criminal damage to a family home in the Pandora Street area with windows broken,â they said. âA small group gathered at the junction of University Road/Bradbury Place before moving to Donegall Road. However, larger crowds gathered, with some masked rioters mounting attacks on officers.â
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones said the disorder, violence and destruction âhas no place in Belfast or anywhere else across the streets of Northern Irelandâ.
DUP minister Gordon Lyons said there is âno justification whatsoever for this violenceâ, adding that he condemns it âin the strongest possible termsâ.
Asked on the BBCâs Good Morning Ulster programme about the motivation behind the original anti-immigration protest on Saturday, Mr Lyons said legitimate concerns should be heard but that there is no justification for violence.
âCertainly there are additional pressures on some public services in parts of Northern Ireland. Iâm aware there has been additional pressure put on the provision of housing,â he said.
âLet me be clear, that doesnât mean there is any justification for violence. If you have concerns, if you want to express those concerns, there are legitimate, peaceful and democratic ways in which you can do that.
Earlier on Monday, a meeting of Belfast City Council passed a motion to provide financial support to businesses damaged during Saturdayâs disorder.
The Northern Ireland Assembly will be recalled later this week to discuss violent scenes after an anti-immigration protest in Belfast.
Four men linked to disorder on Saturday appeared at Belfast Magistratesâ Court on Monday.
The court heard that police believe more violence linked to planned anti-immigration protests is likely in Belfast in the coming days.
A judge described scenes of disorder in the city at the weekend as âabsolutely disgracefulâ as he refused bail to the four men.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin MLA for South Belfast Deirdre Hargey has called for a robust response from the PSNI, an Garda SÃochana and the Northern Ireland Assembly to ensure there is not a repeat of the anti-immigration violence seen in the city last weekend.
There also needs to be engagement with social media platforms about the misinformation being spread, she told RTÃ radioâs Morning Ireland.
Ms Hargey said that the situation in the city centre on Monday night had been tense with people marching towards the Islamic Centre, and that it was after 2am when the police brought the situation under control. Shops that were owned by members of ethnic communities had been targeted.
There was âa mob mentalityâ, she said, with one shop attacked on three occasions. There was even an attempt to burn it. People lived in apartments above the premises so there was a real danger to life.
Ms Hargey said it was important that all political parties come together in condemnation of the violence. â additional reporting PA
