Monthly Archives: March 2014

Police say the disorder involving crowds of up to 100 people started at around 8.40pm in the Sallagh Park area of the Co Antrim town. A PSNI spokeswoman said police arrived at the scene of the disturbance within “three minutes of receiving the report”. Police crews were attacked as they responded to the incident. One police officer required hospital treatment, while a police car and a number of homes were also damaged. Police said “several people” were also assaulted at the scene. Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton has condemned “the criminal actions of those involved in the disturbances”. He said the blame lay “firmly with the South East Antrim UDA”. East Antrim DUP MP Sammy Wilson described the incident as a “coordinated show of strength”. “I believe that this was in retaliation for police arrests over the last week and also settling scores in an attempt to stamp paramilitary authority … Continue reading →

MLAs condemned paramilitary disorder in Larne, on 31 March 2014. A senior police officer blamed the loyalist Ulster Defence Association in south-east Antrim for a “rampage” in which 60 to 100 people, many of them masked, attacked homes in Sallagh Park. One police officer and a resident were injured. The matter of the day was brought by local Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson, who described the incident as “a sickening attack”. He said that for too long there had been a sense that “certain individuals are untouchable”. Mr Dickson called for support for the police. Sammy Wilson of the DUP said that those who claimed to be the protectors of their communities were bringing the most damage. He said there had been criticism of the police but “the finger must be clearly pointed at the criminals”. SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell said the scenes in Larne were “totally shocking and must be … Continue reading →

31 March 2014 Last updated at 08:36 A house was damaged in Knockdhu Park in Larne during overnight trouble A senior police officer has blamed the loyalist Ulster Defence Association in south-east Antrim for a “rampage” in Larne on Sunday. A police vehicle was damaged as officers attempted to deal with up to 100 people who had gathered in Sallagh Park just before 21:00 BST. A resident is in a stable condition in hospital and a police officer needed treatment. The Democratic Unionist Party said the attacks were linked to recent arrests. Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton condemned the disturbances, describing the attacks as a “rampage”. “This group of somewhere between 60 and 100 people, many of them masked, who we believe to be members of south-east Antrim UDA, decided that they would take the law into their own hands,” he said. “There’s obviously some tension and disputes that the … Continue reading →

The Ulster Unionist Party met with representatives from the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) in Stormont this week to discuss the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Party leader Mike Nesbitt MLA, the Assembly team and Jim Nicholson MEP discussed the issue with UFU’s chief executive Clarke Black and president Harry Sinclair. Commenting after the meeting Jim Nicholson said: “The implementation of the reformed CAP is a significant issue for all constituencies given the importance of the agri-food industry to our economy. Because of this it was felt important that the UFU should have an opportunity to outline their proposals to Ulster Unionist MLAs and discuss the possible implications of the options being considered.” Ulster Unionist agriculture spokesperson Jo-Anne Dobson MLA said: “Our meeting was an opportunity for both Harry and Clarke to present to the Ulster Unionist Assembly Group on an issue which will affect the lives and livelihoods … Continue reading →