Ahead of the anticipated protests and counter-protests set to take place in Belfast over the weekend, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has declared that a significant and noticeable policing operation will be in motion. The city has experienced continuous unrest for five consecutive nights as of Thursday, involving incidents of race-related hate crime that the PSNI had to address. There have been reports of window-breaking incidents in southern Belfast homes and physical attacks perpetrated against eastern Belfast police on Flora Street by a group of disguised men hurling bricks and masonry.
The previous weekend saw Muslim-owned businesses like shops and cafes, located in South Belfast, falling victim to attacks after an anti-immigration protest took place in form of a counter-rally against an anti-racism demonstration happening concurrently at Belfast City Hall.
Additional protests are marked to occur on Friday afternoon in the heart of Belfast city, with a further anti-racism rally planned for Saturday. With reference to the anti-racism demonstration that took place in Derry on Wednesday, the organisers have cancelled the protest originally planned for Friday, following confirmation of the cancellation of the anti-immigration rally.
The PSNI’s Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones, in a press briefing on Friday afternoon, mentioned that there will be a considerable surge in resources being allocated towards the city centre of Belfast. According to her, two distinct protests are set to kick-off in the city centre starting from 4:30pm and 5pm with tactical plans in place to ensure smooth engagement, clear communication, and an established understanding of what consists of lawful and peaceful activities. These plans also aim to prevent any potential escalation as were witnessed last Saturday.
Before these protests, certain businesses were not operational on Friday and others are likely to shut earlier. Contemporarily, Queen’s University has shut down its campuses. There is misinformation being circulated on social media related to advice for employees in Belfast, which according to Ms Jones, was not issued by the PSNI.
In her statement, she emphasised the pressing need for support to be extended to businesses that are keen on maintaining normal trading activities. She went on to assert that decision-making pertaining to early closure or termination of services is entirely up to the businesses themselves. She also took pains to reassure the public that substantial police resources have been deployed for their protection.
She disclosed that the PSNI has so far taken into custody 23 individuals in relation to the prevailing disturbances, with 15 of those individuals being formally charged. She further warned that more arrests are underway.
In a bid to boost security, she revealed that an extra 120 officers from Police Scotland are set to arrive by Tuesday, adding that law enforcers on the ground have been granted more powers that include the mandate to carry out stop-and-search procedures and the authority to compel the removal of face coverings.
She further described the prevailing chaos as a blend of organised and random acts of violence. Probing into the aspect of organisation and orchestration of these crimes, mostly executed online, has been incorporated as a part of the criminal investigation strategy. They aim to identify, apprehend and consequently afford justice in cases involving such offences, she shared. She lastly addressed the random instances of disturbances, assuring that the resources put in place are ample enough to quickly and efficiently manage these scenarios.