Police officers in south Belfast came under “sustained attack” on Monday night with petrol bombs, masonry and bricks thrown at them during several hours of rioting and disorder and a police Landrover set alight.
A man in his 50s is serious condition in hospital after he was assaulted by attackers who stamped on his head in what is being treated as a hate crime.
The PSNI said that, during the attack in the Donegall Road and Oban Street area, members of the public attempted to shield him from further assault.
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.
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A 15-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said that around 5pm on Monday evening 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.”
Two plastic baton rounds were fired by police. One rioter was struck on the hand.
The PSNI said “attempts were also made to torch a supermarket which had been targeted on Saturday night. Officers were able to douse this small fire before it developed.”
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones said the “disorder, violence and destruction has no place in Belfast or anywhere else across the streets of Northern Ireland.
“We are engaging with groups that have been affected by this disorder and we are gathering evidence, CCTV and other footage to progress criminal investigations.
“We are working at pace to identify offenders and make arrests,” she said. “We are determined to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”
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 violence we are seeing in Britain, we are seeing in Northern Ireland and to a lesser extent in the Republic simply has to stop,” he said on Radio Kerry on Tuesday morning, during a visit to Killarney.
“The level of aggression and hate that comes from that is something we should have no part of in Ireland”.
Demarcation lines had to be drawn when it came to the nature of protests, he said.
“In a democracy there is no issue with people protesting and arguing and advocating for particular positions so therefore there is no need to be wearing balaclavas and material that is intimidating to people.”
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.
DUP minister Gordon Lyons said there is “no justification whatsoever for this violence”, adding that he condemns it “in the strongest possible terms”.
Asked on the BBC’s 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.
“Certainly there are additional pressures on some public services in parts of Northern Ireland. I’m aware there has been additional pressure put on the provision of housing,” he said.
“Let me be clear, that doesn’t 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 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.
There also needs to be engagement with social media platforms about the misinformation being spread, she told RTÉ radio’s 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 “a mob mentality”, 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. – additional reporting PA
