Latest news with #NorthernIrelandPublicServiceAlliance
Saudi Gazette
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Masonry thrown at police in Portadown in fourth night of Northern Ireland disorder
BALLYMENA — There was disorder in Northern Ireland for the fourth night in a row but at a lower level than seen earlier this week. In Portadown, County Armagh, on Thursday a crowd pulled bricks and masonry from a derelict building which they threw at police. During the first three days of violence, which began in Ballymena, 41 officers were injured. Fifteen people have been arrested so far. The disorder started on Monday after a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in the County Antrim town. In Portadown, police put out a warning on loudspeakers that they would fire baton rounds if the crowd did not disperse. There was a heavy police presence in the centre of Portadown where around 400 protesters gathered on Thursday than 20 police vehicles were parked along the main street and officers in riot gear blocked a number of was a peaceful protest earlier in the town but some disturbances developed, with masonry, including an empty beer keg, being thrown at police.A police helicopter also hovered over the town centre and officers had to extinguish a number of Unionist Party (DUP) MLA Jonathan Buckley called for "calm".He said: "Nobody wants to see violence on our streets no matter where they come from in Northern Ireland. The scenes over the past few days have been disturbing."Earlier, a housing association warned its residents to leave their homes and take measures to protect their properties ahead of the protest.A number of police officers in riot gear are standing in a rainy street. One is holding a gun. Police land rovers are parked beside in Ballymena, there was also a police presence, mainly in the Clonavon Terrace area, with a number of landrovers parked at locations where there had previously been after three nights of violent disorder, the rioters stayed Thursday evening, around 100 people turned up at an anti-racism protest in west Belfast. Members of the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) trade union and representatives from People Before Profit addressed the crowd.A number of people wearing black face coverings were also passed off a press conference on Thursday afternoon, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable said families hid in attics and wardrobes during violent disorder in Ballymena this Boutcher described the violence as "racist", adding "the people who are threatening families who are different to them - that is racism".Boutcher said after a peaceful protest was "hijacked" on Monday evening, police and the fire service had to help families "who have done nothing wrong".He added that: "We stand absolutely shoulder to shoulder with the diverse communities in Northern Ireland."These bigots and racists will not win the day."The first protest was organized hours after two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates' spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages. Their solicitor said they would be denying the said in addition to the two teenagers who have been arrested and charged, there was "a third suspect who is currently outside the jurisdiction"."We will be bringing him back into the jurisdiction," he said the family of the young girl wanted the violence to stop."She's been further traumatized by what has happened over the last three nights," he have described the disorder as "racist thuggery, pure and simple" and targeted at ethnic minorities and law the three days in Ballymena, police officers came under sustained attack with petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks thrown in their called on those involved to stop and warned there would be prosecutions."Don't come out onto the streets tonight. If you do we will police you, and we will deal with you through the criminal justice system."We'll be releasing images of those responsible. We will be going after them."He said that three young people were in court in Ballymena on Thursday and remanded into custody for "these disturbances".Jody Esguerra is an outreach worker for the Filipino community and has been helping others find somewhere safe to said he received reports of a family that was "stuck inside" their home with "mobs and protesters" trying to enter, while "smashing the windows and throwing projectiles"."They're scared for their lives", he said, and added that they don't feel "welcome" said the family "didn't expect any of this to happen".They were woken up by "loud noises" and realized people were "throwing rocks at their door... and all tried to hide".The Social Democrat and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Claire Hanna described the scenes in Ballymena over the past few days as "dystopian"."It was one of the most disturbing things I've seen in this very, very challenged place," she Sharma, the chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said: "This violence is racism – pure and simple."He said: "It is hard to find the words to describe the scenes of vitriol and hatred on our streets," adding that it is "mindless violence that is simply wrecking communities"."This violence needs to stop before a life is lost or serious injuries sustained."On Wednesday, the PSNI confirmed that a significant number of extra police officers were being deployed into areas Scotland has agreed to send officers, after police in Northern Ireland requested extra support under mutual aid Larne, masked youths attacked a leisure centre and set it on fire on centre had been providing emergency shelter for families following the clashes earlier in the week, the council have also been incidents in Carrickfergus, Coleraine, north Belfast and swimmer Danielle Hill, who competed in both the Paris and Tokyo Games, was at the facility when the attacks took took the decision to cancel swimming lessons after spotting four masked men near the 25-year-old said: "I mean, it's sad. It's awful. I lay awake last night. When there's kids involved it's upsetting."It shouldn't be happening. There was no need for the violence."In a statement, a council spokesperson said they were "assessing the significant damage" and that "the centre remains closed". — BBC
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Welfare changes: Union prepared to 'bring Northern Ireland to standstill'
A major trade union has said it is prepared to bring Northern Ireland to a "standstill" to put pressure on Westminster and Stormont over planned changes to welfare March the UK government announced moves aimed at saving £5bn a year in the benefits system by changes will make it harder for people with less severe conditions to claim disability benefit payments for health conditions will also be frozen for current claimants and nearly halved for new applicants. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has defended the government's plan, insisting that the way the benefits system currently works is "unsustainable". Patrick Mulholland, deputy general secretary of Nipsa (Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance), said unions were "not going to tolerate" the at a protest against the changes outside the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast, he said unions were prepared to bring Northern Ireland to a "standstill" if that was what it took to get Stormont to introduce mitigations to the new system."It's clear this is a political decision rather than a financial one," he said."We're going to fight to defend the welfare do want to get the message across to Stormont - either they put pressure on central government and get money released or they prepare a package of mitigations so as ordinary people aren't crushed under the weight of these cuts."The benefits system is devolved in Northern Ireland but in practice the Stormont administration mostly copies what is happening in England and Wales. Could Stormont mitigate welfare changes? Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, of the Democratic Unionist Party, previously said the Northern Ireland Executive did not have the resources to mitigate Labour's O'Reilly from Disabled People Against Cuts Northern Ireland said his group would continue to campaign to protect "human dignity and fairness"."We are asking for quality of life - nothing more, nothing less. Do not leave millions of us in destitution," he from the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Alliance Party also attended the protest, alongside People Before Profit assembly member Gerry leader Claire Hanna said politicians would "fight with you as best we can", adding that what Labour had delivered since taking office in July was "far from the change" it had promised."It will leave people more demoralised than they were under the Conservatives," the Belfast South and Mid Down MP Valley MP Sorcha Eastwood, of Alliance, said the changes were a "disgusting and vile attack" that was not being carried out in her name, while Carroll said Stormont needed to "grow a backbone" and introduce has previously acted to offset changes to benefits introduced in England, including the controversial bedroom with this latest raft of incoming changes ministers have said they do not have the financial firepower to step in again.
