A senior police officer has said there is “no doubt” loyalist paramilitaries were involved in disorder in south Belfast on Monday night.
Speaking to reporters in Belfast on Tuesday, Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones said while there was a “paramilitary element” to the violence, she was “not in a position to say that this is the main organiser or orchestrator of these events.”
Police came under “sustained attack”, with petrol bombs, masonry and bricks thrown at them in the Sandy Row area during several hours of rioting and disorder.
A man in his 50s is in a serious condition in hospital after attackers stamped on his head. The “brutal attack” is being treated as a hate crime, police said.
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During the attack in the Donegall Road and Oban Street area, members of the public attempted to shield him from further assault.
A police Landrover was set on fire, and attempts were made to burn down a supermarket in the area.
Two plastic baton rounds were fired by police, with one rioter hit in the hand.
A 15-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour.
The violence, which was mainly in the Donegall Road and Sandy Row areas, followed a weekend of disorder in which shops and cafes with Muslim owners were attacked after an anti-immigration protest in the city centre.
It began around 5pm on Monday evening, when a protest and counter-protest involving approximately 40 people formed in the Ormeau Avenue area.
“A report was then made of criminal damage to a family home in the Pandora Street area with windows broken,” the PSNI said.
“A 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.”
On Tuesday ACC Jones said Monday’s disorder was “different” from that of the weekend, which involved “mainly older adult people.
“Last night it was clear to us that there was a younger element, teenagers mainly, who were involved in the disorder, but that there was an element of organisation and orchestration from what appeared to be older adults present at the scene.”
She said a “widespread investigation” was underway,
working closely with An Garda Siochana to identify anyone who had travelled from Dublin or the Republic of Ireland and committed offences.
The senior police officer defended the policing operation, saying 300 uniformed police officers had been deployed in South Belfast on Monday night.
Tánaiste Micheal Martin has said he is very concerned with what is happening in Britain and in Belfast and the level of violence involved.
“The level of aggression and hate that comes from that is something we should have no part of in Ireland,” he said.
The Tánaiste also said there is a “real issue” with social media platforms, with some co-operating with State authorities, while others don’t. He mentioned Elon Musk’s X as problematic, and referenced traffic from North America using the Telegram platform during last November’s Dublin riots.
The Northern Secretary, Hilary Benn, condemned the “totally unacceptable” violence which he said has “sowed fear in local communities and damaged businesses.
“I urge those involved to stop this senseless violence and intimidation,” he said.
DUP minister Gordon Lyons told BBC there is “no justification whatsoever for this violence”, adding that he condemns it “in the strongest possible terms”.
Earlier on Monday, a meeting of Belfast City Council passed a motion to provide financial support to businesses damaged during Saturday’s 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 Magistrates’ 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 “absolutely disgraceful” 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 An Garda Síochána and the Northern Ireland Assembly to ensure there is not a repeat of the anti-immigration violence seen in the city last weekend.
– additional reporting PA
