Protester sets himself alight with petrol bomb during Northern Ireland clash with police
A man set himself alight after attempting to throw a petrol bomb as a second night of rioting swept across Northern Ireland following Monday's knife attack.
A rioter accidentally ignited himself while attempting to hurl a petrol bomb during Wednesday evening's unrest. The protester's jacket caught fire as he tried to launch the incendiary device in Portadown, Northern Ireland.
Video footage circulating on social media captures three masked protesters assembling before one attempts to lob the petrol bomb, then fleeing after he bursts into flames. He keeps running towards the camera while frantically patting his back in a bid to extinguish the fire.
Further disorder across Belfast and Northern Ireland
Wednesday night witnessed further scenes of disorder across Belfast and Northern Ireland in the wake of Monday evening's horrific knife attack, reports Belfast Live. In Belfast, officers deployed water cannons against protesters in Co Antrim after coming under attack from bricks, while footage revealed scores of men clad entirely in black with covered faces seizing wheelie bins from outside properties and setting them ablaze. Police in the Portadown area deployed dogs to confront the anticipated violence. A property in the vicinity has also been petrol bombed, according to reports.
Chief Constable condemns disorder
Following Tuesday evening's mayhem on the streets, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland declared that disorder across Northern Ireland represents an "act of self-harm" against communities. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: "This disorder is an insult to the victim of this assault, an insult to the members of the public who bravely stepped forward to save his life and the officers who rushed to the scene. The criminal justice system needs to take its course. Let that follow due process. A man has appeared in court today charged with this attempted murder and, separately, another man has been charged with riot following the scenes in Newtownabbey. I'd appeal to everyone in Northern Ireland to take control. If you have a niece, nephew, brother, sister or a member of your local sports club, if you've seen them at the disorder, stop them from coming out today. This has got to stop. We cannot have a society that allows this to happen."
Political leaders condemn violence
Leaders have strongly criticised Wednesday night's unrest, which saw blazes set alight at the Sandyknowes roundabout. Northern Ireland's Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins described a second consecutive evening of chaos and damage as something that "needs to be condemned in the strongest possible way." She said: "It is racism, it is intimidation and absolute thuggery. These acts serve no one and only cause harm and fear within communities. It is disgraceful and disgusting. I utterly condemn the incident at my department's depot in Sandyknowes and the further disruption we have seen with transport services suspended and businesses closing early. I thank the police for their response and I reiterate the calls for this violence to stop."
