Executive ministers will gather at Stormont Castle on Thursday morning before the Northern Ireland Assembly sitting at noon. There was further disorder on Wednesday night, with police coming under attack in east Belfast. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it has asked for support, submitting a request to National Police Co-ordination Centre for additional officers from across the United Kingdom to support the policing operation. A senior Police Service of Northern Ireland officer earlier this week said a paramilitary element is suspected of co-ordinating violence in Belfast. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and parliamentary under-secretary of state Fleur Anderson speak to media at a community centre in Belfast on Wednesday (Rebecca Black/PA)On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hilary Benn condemned “racist violence” in Belfast in recent days and stressed that it “does not represent Northern Ireland”.

Source: The Herald August 08, 2024 05:47 UTC