Priority must be to protect lives and property – O’Neill

Northern Ireland’s First Minister has called for the prioritising of “protecting lives and property and facing down racism”.

Michelle O’Neill was speaking after scenes of violence and disorder followed an anti-immigration protest in Belfast on Saturday.

Four men appeared in court on Monday to face charges linked to the violence.

Several businesses were attacked during the violence, which erupted in the city after the protests on Saturday. Business owners have said the Islamic community was deliberately targeted.

The Alliance Party has called for the recall of the Stormont Assembly to discuss the violent scenes.

The bid has been backed by the SDLP who have urged MLAs to “come together and reject the violent scenes on the streets of Belfast at the weekend”.

Ms O’Neill said she has spoken to Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher.

“There is no place in this society for racism or the attacks on our minority communities which took place at the weekend,” she said.

“Today, I spoke to PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and we agreed that the shared priority is to protect lives and property and face down racism, violence and intimidation.

“Co-operation between the PSNI and An Garda Siochana is essential so that those responsible for causing and orchestrating the racist violence on Saturday will face the full force of the law.

“As a Government and as a society we must all work together to deliver a shared, peaceful and inclusive society.”

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly added: “We all stand united in tackling intimidation, disorder and violence and firmly against hate and racism.

“The vast, vast majority of people throughout NI do likewise. There is no place for thuggery in NI.”

Stormont’s Justice Minister, Naomi Long, said the scenes have been hugely damaging, describing some people as being scared to leave their homes today because of the colour of their skin.

Police mounted a significant security operation during a lengthy confrontation between anti-Islamic protesters and those taking part in an anti-racist rally at Belfast City Hall during which fireworks and other missiles were thrown.

The force said it then prevented an attempt by protesters to march to Belfast Islamic Centre, but that sporadic violence broke out in other parts of the city.

Three police officers were injured in the disorder and the PSNI has said those involved will be dealt with “using the full force of the law”.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Ms Long said she was “absolutely distraught” about what happened.

“These scenes have been broadcast around the globe of the rioting right across the UK and in our main city,” she said.

“It’s hugely damaging to our reputation but it’s also incredibly damaging to our community.

“We have people in Belfast today who are afraid to go outside of their homes because of the colour of their skin, or because of their religion or because of their perceived background, because they’re afraid that they will be attacked on the streets.

“This kind of xenophobia and racism and bigotry isn’t acceptable. It is intolerable, and from my perspective when it tips over into violence it is a very serious issue, both for the department of justice and for the police service.”

Ms Long urged against anyone considering travelling to Northern Ireland to riot.

“Because if you do, you will be held accountable in front of the courts. You will be pursued. There isn’t a free pass to come to Northern Ireland and engage in this kind of behaviour,” she said.

“We need as a community in Northern Ireland to stand against this. We need the political leadership. We need leadership from the PSNI. We need leadership from within our community to say that they do not want this visited on the streets of Belfast.

“We have experienced violence over the years. We know the damage it can do. We above all should understand the vulnerability of people who are being subjected to this kind of intimidation and it’s up to all of us to play our part in saying this is not welcome in Northern Ireland.

“If you engage in it, whether you are from Northern Ireland or from outside Northern Ireland, you will be held accountable.”

Earlier, Ms Long said if there are any lessons to be learned from the policing operation at the weekend, she has no doubt the PSNI will learn them.

She told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme: “We are already seeing now on social media people making preparations for another round of this this week.

“This cannot continue, we cannot have this kind of Islamophobia, xenophobia and hatred on our streets.

“People have a right to an opinion when it comes to immigration, but it needs to be an informed opinion. What we are seeing instead is radicalisation of people online through disinformation and outright lies.

“It is incredibly dangerous.

“If there are lessons to be learned around the policing operation I have no doubt whatsoever they will be learned.”

Policing Board chairman Mukesh Sharma described the violence in Belfast as “deeply depressing and disturbing”.

“As a board, we join in the condemnation of all those who engaged in this disorder, and we welcome police commitments to bring all those responsible to justice,” he said.

“There is no place for hate in our community.

“We all have a real job of work to do to provide reassurance to the community that the violent actions of a few are not representative of our society.

“I welcome the increased police engagement at this time with affected and concerned communities, and also trust that all those officers injured in the course of the disorder make a speedy recovery.”

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts added: “These attacks are despicable and should be condemned. Racism has no place in our community and those behind these attacks should be brought to justice.

“Our thoughts are with the owners and staff of these businesses going through such a traumatic experience”.

“We hope that the police will learn lessons from last weekend and ensure that these disgraceful racially motivated attacks on business owners are prevented in future.”