Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I condemn last night’s violence on the streets of Belfast. It followed an illegal protest purporting to be against the protocol. People have a right to protest. They have a right to peaceful protest in opposition to political events of the day, and I and, I am sure, colleagues will defend that right fully. Of course, this protest did not take place at the headquarters of the DUP, it did not take place at the Northern Ireland Office, it did not take place at No. 10 Downing Street; it took place at an interface. I would call from this House today on my unionist colleagues in particular in the North to tone down the provocative rhetoric in this regard. We have seen a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old arrested last night. With the greatest respect to them, I am sure neither of them could outline the concerns around the complexities of trade in regard to the protocol. There are people and families living at both sides of the interface who want nothing to do with this and who deserve to live and rear their families in peace.

I commend and thank my own party colleagues, community workers and youth workers who were out on the ground last night trying to ease tensions. I am sure they will be out again tonight and over the coming days, but they should not have to be. I do not want to over-egg it. This was sporadic and it was quite minimal in comparison with other events we have seen, but once people are brought out onto the street in this fashion and led by such provocative and inflammatory language and sentiment, it always has a very dangerous potential. I want us today, through the Leader, to condemn those events last night and to call on people to engage on this issue respectfully, peacefully and, probably most important of all, realistically going forward. We do not want to see any further escalation or any harm brought to young people or the families living along the interface between the Springfield Road and the Shankill Road.