11 charged in Derry court after violence over weekend

Ten men and a juvenile have appeared at a special court in Limavady on charges arising out of disturbances in Derry at the weekend…

Ten men and a juvenile have appeared at a special court in Limavady on charges arising out of disturbances in Derry at the weekend.

Four men were remanded in custody until September 9th. They were charged with throwing petrol bombs and riotous behaviour. An 18-year-old was remanded in custody to appear on August 19th on a charge of possessing a petrol bomb.

Five other men and the juvenile were remanded in custody until today on charges of riotous behaviour. The violence, which began in Derry on Saturday morning, continued well into the early hours of Sunday.

Smoke continued to drift across Derry city centre yesterday from the remains of buildings set on fire. It is estimated that several million pounds worth of damage was caused.

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Most of those taking part in the violence were young. While many of the incidents were spontaneous, some were orchestrated by known dissident republicans.

The trouble was centred on Waterloo Place where about 400 people gathered. The Northern Bank, Ulster Bank and First Trust Bank were set alight. Numerous local shops were also attacked and looted. Youths drove hijacked cars through shop fronts.

Kentucky Fried Chicken and a discount store in William Street were destroyed by fire. Police and firefighters came under attack when they tried to deal with the blazes. Ten cars and vans were also hijacked and set alight.

Looters prised open the steel shutters of a sports shop. Rioters unsuccessfully tried to break into the main Post Office sorting office in Great James Street.

About 130 petrol bombs were thrown at the RUC and British army. A further 200 petrol bombs were recovered by police from the fringes of the Bogside. Two youths burning a Union flag in Waterloo Place shouted: "It's a pity it isn't Stormont."

Masked men were on the streets in various parts of the city. One man who was orchestrating some of the attacks claimed Provisional IRA leaders had attempted to stop the violence. "We didn't listen. We are not going to stand by and let the Apprentice Boys and the RUC run this city," he said.

"If the Provos don't want to challenge them that's up to them, but they're not going to stop us." The rioters were condemned by the SDLP Mayor, Mr Pat Ramsey. He confronted some of those taking part in the violence on several occasions. He helped recover a car which had been hijacked.

Mr Ramsay said he had forced rioters attempting to ram-raid a video shop in William Street to abandon their efforts. He said many of those involved in the trouble were drunk.

"It is pathetic to watch. It is sad to watch. We are trying to build a better future for the people of this city, especially the young people of this city, and here I am watching people's jobs going up in smoke."

Mr Ramsey yesterday met the staff of the discount store What Everyone Wants, which was destroyed. He said they were devastated. "They are in tears. They fear the worst. They fear their jobs have gone for good because of what the thugs did to their shop.

"I have contacted the owners of the company in Scotland and they have agreed to meet me. I will beg them to keep the jobs of their Derry workforce."

One of the cars hijacked and burned by rioters belonged to a local elderly man who is a registered disabled driver. His wife wept as she unsuccessfully pleaded with hijackers not to take the vehicle.

In Lurgan, RUC men fired plastic bullets after a mob attacked them with petrol bombs.

Five people were arrested - two were later remanded in custody when charged - after officers were attacked by a mob of 75 people in the nationalist William Street area, again in advance of another Apprentice Boys parade on its way to the rally in Derry.

Stones, bottles, petrol and paint bombs were thrown and masked men attacked officers with cudgels, according to an RUC spokesman.

Mr Alistair Graham, chairman of the Parades Commission which gave permission for the parades, observed the Belfast and Derry parades and said the Ormeau march was "orderly, well conducted and respectful to the community in the area".

But he said a small number of bands had broken the conditions about not playing at all while parading through the Diamond in Derry.

He added: "With that small exception - and there were less than 10 involved - the parade was very well marshalled and complied with all our conditions."