Alliance condemns weekend violence

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 11th Sep 2005

Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Stephen Farry, has condemned the weekend's violence in Belfast and Co. Antrim arising out of the contested Whiterock Parade.

Stephen Farry stated:

"The law-abiding majority are outraged at events over the weekend. There is absolutely no excuse or justification for the riots and scenes of violence that have unfolded.

"Those who brought this situation to a head, and brought people onto the streets must answer some serious questions?

"Is one parade out of thousands or another opportunity to have a go at the Parades Commission really worth the costs in injured police officers and damage to the local infrastructure, and the impact on attempts to build good relations and efforts to restore a political process?

"It is time that time that the Orange Order and their political hangers-on come out from pathetic attempts to blame police tactics and unambiguously condemn those involved in well-planned violence

"It is important that the police follow up this weekends events with arrests based on video evidence, and that Governments reassess their approach to Loyalism. If it is established that either the UDA or UVF were orchestrating attacks on the police, this would call into question the status of their ceasefires, even under the Government's outmoded definition."