Three officers were injured after police came under attack during overnight disorder in Derry, Northern Ireland, where a 13-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour
Two teenagers have been arrested following disorder in Derry across as many nights.
Officers were pelted with debris and fireworks during the violent clashes erupted across the Northern Ireland city on Tuesday night. The gathering was organised over social media after disorder in Derry on Monday evening.
A 13-year-old boy was detained on Tuesday on suspicion of riotous behaviour, after an 18-year-old man was arrested on Monday in the Orchard Row area of the city.
Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) said in a statement initially shared on social media: “Police are dealing with ongoing disorder in the Nailors Row area of Derry / Londonderry this evening, Tuesday 17th June. A number of missiles, including masonry and petrol bombs, have been thrown towards officers. We would ask the public to avoid the area until further notice.”
Three officers were injured after missiles were thrown at police between 9.30pm and 11.30pm on Tuesday. They said two officers were struck by masonry, while a third was hit by a firework.
“A second arrest has been made today, 17 June, by police in Derry/Londonderry in connection with disorder in the Nailors Row area of the city last night, 16 June. A 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour, and has since been released on bail to allow for further police enquiries to be conducted,” the police statement added.
It’s understood that several attempts were made to attack homes in the Fountain Estate before police intervened on Tuesday. Videos posted to social media show crowds of youths shooting fireworks at officers in riot gear.
Derek Moore of the North West Cultural Partnership, which is based in the Fountain Estate, said issues have been ongoing for six to eight weeks. Meetings have been held with the PSNI, he told Belfast Telegraph, with pressure applied on them and individuals with influence in the Bogside to engage with the young people responsible.
Two Catholic boys were attacked in the Nelson Drive area of the Waterside in April, and violence has escalated since then across Derry, which as a metropolitan area is home to more than 237,000 people.
Last week’s riots which saw petrol bombs being thrown at cops in what was dubbed a “week of shame” for the region. After serious public disorder erupted in Ballymena on Monday last week, the focus of the violence and unrest shifted to Portadown.
One officer was directly in the impact of a petrol bomb that landed behind a line of police vehicles during a sustained standoff with those participating in the unrest on Friday.
Fireworks, masonry, and bottles were among other items thrown at riot police deployed in the town. Police used a water cannon on the crowd in an effort to disperse those gathered on West Street into other areas. First Minister Michelle O’Neill said everyone is condemning the disorder and calling for it to stop.