Protesters In Belfast Throw Petrol Bombs At Police As UK Rioting Intensifies
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) warned the public to stay away from certain areas of the city on Monday night as they dealt with public disorder and violence.
At least one police vehicle has been reportedly set ablaze while several fires blazed on Monday evening in the Sandy Row and Donegall Road areas of South Belfast in the United Kingdom.
Rioters had taken to Belfast’s streets for a second night with footage showing petrol bombs and missiles being thrown at police.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) warned the public to stay away from certain areas of the city on Monday night as they dealt with public disorder and violence.
This follows a similar night of chaos on Saturday, when several hundred anti-immigration protesters threw fireworks as they marched through the city.
AP reports that deputy District Judge, Liam McStay, in the Belfast Magistrates’ Court refused bail for two men who had participated in the unrest, which saw a violent mob trash businesses and set a supermarket on fire.
Far-right protests broke out after misinformation on social media sparked anger over a stabbing at a children’s dance class in Southport that killed three girls and wounded 10 people.
While the suspect arrested was born in the UK and not a Muslim, false rumours spread online that the suspect was a Muslim asylum-seeker, leading to attacks on hotels and facilities housing asylum seekers as well as mosques.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said more than 375 people have been arrested in the disorder so far across multiple cities, with more expected to be apprehended in the coming days.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a “standing army” of specialist police would be deployed to deal with the rioting and that the justice system will be fully resourced to handle the huge number of arrests
