London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

'Dialogue, not violence': N. Ireland Secretary calls for calm before Belfast visit after 6th night of violence

'Dialogue, not violence': N. Ireland Secretary calls for calm before Belfast visit after 6th night of violence

The sixth consecutive night of violence in Northern Ireland, in which a bus was hijacked and burnt to the ground, has been condemned by the UK government's Northern Ireland Secretary ahead of his visit to Belfast on Thursday.
"All communities in Northern Ireland must work together to resolve the tensions that we are currently facing," Brandon Lewis said in a statement.

"The right way to express concerns or frustrations is through dialogue, engagement, and the democratic process, not through violence or disorder."

Lewis announced that he will fly into Belfast to meet with community, faith and political leaders, and also welcomed a joint statement from Northern Ireland's ruling coalition condemning the violence.

"We are gravely concerned by the scenes we have all witnessed on our streets over the last week, including those at the Lanark Way interface last night," the Executive's statement read.

The statement from the Executive, which comprises politicians from opposing unionist and republican parties, acknowledged its internal political differences, but said it was "united" in its support for the police and rule of law.

On Wednesday, protesters rioted in and around Lanark Way and the Shankill Road in Belfast, where a double-decker bus was hijacked and set ablaze under a flurry of Molotov cocktails.

Police were also pelted with stones, with 55 officers injured across the six nights of violence. Boys as young as 13 have been arrested on rioting charges during the unrest.

Unionists have been angered by prosecutors' decision not to take action against 24 politicians from the nationalist Sinn Fein party, who were among 2,000 people to attend the funeral of a former Provisional IRA fighter in June, in breach of Covid-19 measures.

Added to this anger has been the tension caused by the UK government's Brexit deal with the EU, which has effectively seen a customs border placed down the Irish Sea, between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The arrangement is part of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is designed to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – still an EU member state – as well as to sustain the Good Friday peace agreement that ended decades of violence in the region.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×