08 April 2021 - Riots in Northern Ireland
Police attacked and hijacked bus set alight as violent breaks out in west Belfast
Gillian Halliday and Eoghan Moloney (Independent.ie, 07/04/2021)
Police officers have been attacked and a hijacked bus set on fire during violent disturbances at an interface area in west Belfast.
Public disorder broke out after crowds gathered at the junction of Lanark Way and Shankhill Road near Kennedy Way, the PSNI have said.
Earlier tyres and bins were set on fire near interface gates. It had been reported that a peaceful protest had been planned.
Taoiseach condemns unrest as NI leaders to meet
(RTE, 08/04/2021)
The Northern Ireland Executive is to be briefed on the ongoing unrest seen in Belfast and Derry over the last week.
Leaders will meet for the briefing at 10am, an hour before the Stormont Assembly is to be recalled to discuss the recent scenes of violence in mainly loyalist areas.
Violent scenes including attacks on police, petrol bombings and rioting have taken place repeatedly on the streets of Belfast and Derry throughout the past week.
Belfast: Emergency Stormont meeting after night of violence
(BBC News, 08/04/2021)
An emergency meeting of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive will take place on Thursday morning after a night of violence in west Belfast.
During several hours of disorder police officers were attacked, petrol bombs were thrown and a bus was burnt.
Condemnation of the violence was led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson who said the scenes "deeply concerned" him.
Northern Ireland needs leadership. Without it, the violence could get worse
Sarah Creighton (The Guardian, 07/04/2021)
Before scenes of rioting in Belfast started to hit the national news, messages pinged across social media. On Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter calls went out for people to take to the streets. One message said protesters needed to “shut down Northern Ireland” and to “stand up and be counted”.
While it was mainly teenagers who rioted in Belfast, that doesn’t mean the situation wasn’t serious. Eight police officers were injured in the clashes. Businesses were damaged. On 4 April there was further violence in Newtownabbey. Cars were hijacked and burned on the road. The scenes were repeated on Monday night. Local communities have to pick up the pieces.