A SENIOR PSNI officer has said that somebody “will be killed” in the run-up to a big Belfast Orange Order parade at the end of the month if current sectarian pressures are not defused.
Asst Chief Constable Will Kerr issued his warning yesterday after a second night of violence at Carlisle Circus in north Belfast in which 15 officers were injured.
There were further disturbances last night in the same area when police came under attack from rioters throwing missiles, including fireworks, a spokesman said.
By yesterday morning more than 60 officers had been injured, some of them requiring hospital treatment, during recent nights of rioting involving loyalists and nationalists at the north Belfast sectarian interface. At least two officers were rendered unconscious when struck by masonry while another officer suffered a suspected broken arm.
Five males aged 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are due in Belfast Court today charged in connection with the disorder on Monday night.
“What I am saying is that the time for posturing on this issue and in relation to the issue of the covenant centenary on September 29th is now past,” said Mr Kerr.
“We need an urgent resolution of this issue or there is a very real possibility that somebody will be killed over the course of the next few days and weeks. It is that serious,” he added.
In Monday night’s violence, which only petered out at 3am yesterday, police were pelted with petrol bombs, bricks, stones and fireworks.
Police fired six plastic bullets. Seven people were arrested with Mr Kerr saying more arrests will follow.
Trouble was started by loyalists, said police, and nationalists were also involved. He said there was also loyalist paramilitary participation, but there was no evidence that the UVF leadership had orchestrated the trouble. He added that there were indications that some loyalist paramilitaries worked to prevent the violence.
Mr Kerr said concerns have been raised about whether a big Orange Order parade on September 29th will pass off peacefully and about further trouble in the run-up to it.
The six-mile march from Belfast City Hall to Stormont commemorates the centenary of the signing of the anti-Home Rule Ulster Covenant. It will feature more than 20,000 Orangemen, 100 bands and tens of thousands of spectators, culminating in a rally on the grounds of Stormont.
Mr Kerr said Northern Ireland could not afford to wait for an “11th hour” solution on September 29th. Asked what politicians should do, he replied: “The time for posturing by both sides on this issue is past. Sort this out and sort it out now. We are deeply worried about the next few weeks and the lead-up to Saturday, September 29th. I don’t think I can make that any more clear.”
He added: “You can’t sustain the levels of violence that we had over the past two nights and not worry about somebody getting killed.”
