OVER 50 POLICE officers were injured in rioting in Belfast over the weekend, in what the chairman of the Parades Commission called “scenes of unwarranted lawlessness”.
Peter Osborne said that the PSNI handled the rioting in a “truly courageous” manner and said that the people of Northern Ireland would be feeling proud of the reaction of the police. Osborne added that PSNI officers had faced “almost intolerable provocation” over the last weekend.
“It is clear that there are some who while wanting to avail of their rights under the law feel that they are not bound by their responsibilities to adhere to the law,” said Osborne.
In Derry, 5,000 Apprentice Boys paraded peacefully, while a controversial republican parade in Castlederg, Co Tyrone, passed off without incident. In Belfast, seven people were arrested and 56 police officers injured after a parade to mark the introduction of internment in 1971.
PSNI officers used a water cannon and fired 26 plastic baton rounds, while vehicles were set alight and shopfronts damaged.
Osborne said that there needed to be tolerance on all sides of the divide.
Balancing the rights of marchers with concerns of protestors is hugely challenging for the Commission but we will continue to do so in a fair and balanced way.
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