Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim was forced to interrupt the programme on Tuesday evening as peaceful protests in Belfast, Northern Ireland, descended into violence, with burning barricades and vehicles set alight.
Breaking News Coverage
Switching to scenes from Belfast's streets, journalist Amanda Ferguson took control with a breaking news bulletin. 'That appears to be the peaceful proceedings over for the evening,' Ferguson told viewers. 'What we're seeing is burning barricades, burning buses, burning vehicles that are taking place but police, in the last hour, their statement still did mention it as sporadic pockets of disorder.'
Police Response
'Essentially the police are asking anyone with influence, and that can be a wide range of actors in Northern Ireland, to desist from this sort of activity, but you also can't discount the fact that because we're into the summer months, and because rioting and this sort of violent activity tends to happen maybe annually and usually in the summer months, that there is a recreational element to this,' Ferguson added.
Background of the Incident
On Tuesday evening, demonstrators assembled following a horrific stabbing incident that occurred on Monday evening on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast. The Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed that the alleged victim, a man in his 40s, remains in hospital in a serious condition. It was subsequently disclosed that a Sudanese man in his 30s had been arrested.
Political Reactions
Shortly after this information emerged, local MPs revealed they had been informed of planned demonstrations that evening. Urging those taking part to remain peaceful, Justice Minister Naomi Long issued a statement. 'The only people who will be harmed if there is unrest on our streets are innocent people. The only thing that will be achieved is further victims,' she said. 'And so I'm asking for people to be calm, to be rational at a time when it is easy to be irrational, because you're hurt, you're upset, and you're angry and because there are bad faith actors who want to stir trouble. It is not in the interests of anyone in Northern Ireland for us to see our community torn apart in these instances.'
