Loyalist protests 'repel investors'
Potential investors in the North have walked away because of the street violence, business chiefs have warned.
As First Minister Peter Robinson confirmed a new initiative to try to end the disorder by loyalists in Belfast, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) claimed jobs will be lost and shops shut unless there is an immediate end to trouble sparked by a reduction in the number of days the Union flag flies from Belfast city hall.
A fifth consecutive night of violence in east Belfast last night saw rioters attack police and their vehicles with hatchets, sledgehammers and petrol bombs.
CBI Northern Ireland director Nigel Smyth warned: “We are already aware of investors who have lost interest because of these disruptions.”
Last night the Police Service of Northern Ireland fired water cannon and used “non-lethal” baton rounds in response to violence on the Lower Newtownards Road, an inner city largely unionist working-class area.
The unrest has continued intermittently since Belfast City Council’s decision last month to reduce the number of days the flag flies to 18. Tomorrow will be the first of those dates, the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday.
Three police officers were injured and eight people arrested on Monday night, bringing the total number of arrests since the flag protests began to 104. A total of 66 officers have been hurt.
Mr Smyth said: “The violence and disruptive actions of those involved in the street protests is having a detrimental impact on local businesses, as well as damaging prospective tourism and investment for the year ahead.
“There is now a very real risk of job losses as the very livelihood of the business owners and staff in the communities affected is threatened.”
The North's First Minister Peter Robinson said a unionist forum to discuss issues of concern with the loyalist community would meet later this week. It is expected to include politicians and community groups.
The violence is being watched closely by business leaders, Mr Robinson said.
“We know the people considering investing. We know the nervousness of some of those who have invested in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“The only outcome is that (the riots) damage Northern Ireland’s prospects of bringing more jobs here, damage the prospects of young people who want to get into employment and damage the prospects of us having prosperity in Northern Ireland.”
Mr Robinson said the first meeting of the Unionist Forum is on Thursday morning at Stormont to address issues of unionist concern including discussing measures to increase voter registration and turnout.
Other agenda items include:
:: Strengthening British cultural identity in Northern Ireland
:: Addressing problems surrounding loyal order parading
:: Tackling deprivation and educational underachievement
:: Focusing on broader political and economic matters as well as steps to encourage “capacity building”.
All participants will support the maintenance of the union, commit to exclusively peaceful and democratic means, non-sectarianism, a shared future and the successful operation of devolution in Northern Ireland.
Mr Robinson and Democratic Unionist deputy leader Nigel Dodds will attend.
The DUP leader dismissed concerns that unionist identity has been chipped away, citing the Queen’s visit to Belfast and Fermanagh last year, the region’s Olympics success and September’s Ulster Covenant centenary celebrations.
“There are some people who want to make the protest towards the political process of the Assembly rather than keeping it to the issue of how we can strengthen British identity in Northern Ireland,” Mr Robinson said.
“As time goes on, the reasonable people, whilst still angry about the flags issue, don’t want to be involved with the violence happening on a day-to-day basis, nor do they want to be associated with some of the comments made.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said people are being held to ransom by the rioters and called for an end to all street demonstrations.
“It’s not acceptable that those who say they are defending a Union flag are actually doing it by hurling bricks and petrol bombs at police. It’s disgraceful, frankly,” she said.
She described continuing rioting as profoundly depressing and supported the PSNI’s efforts to crack down robustly on law breakers
The head of the force, chief constable Matt Baggott, has led calls for the trouble to cease.
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