Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
POLE POSITION
Bradley hits out at street violence
SCOTT Ryder of Kent has won his fourth world caber title, tossing the 20ft, 140lb pole at Inveraray Highland Games, western Scotland. DISSIDENT republicans who have “nothing to offer their communities” have “exploited and goaded” children into violence, Karen Bradley said yesterday.
The Secretary of State hit out as she responded to an urgent question in the Commons, which pressed her to update MPS on recent violence.
Ms Bradley highlighted “serious disorder” in Belfast and some surrounding areas on July 11 following a court order to remove a bonfire considered unsafe, along with “sporadic, isolated acts of violence” in the days since.
She also condemned “unrelated but serious disorder” in Derry last week, including petrol bombs and a shooting attack against police officers.
Ms Bradley told MPS: “As the Chief Constable informed me this morning, there have been so far 15 arrests in connection with the violence in Derry and 10 people have been charged. In many cases it would appear young people are being exploited and goaded into criminal activity by adults with nothing to offer their communities.” Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Tony Lloyd, who asked the urgent question, said the levels of civil disorder were “very serious” as he urged Ms Bradley to push ahead with getting Stormont up and running. He added: “There is an obligation of leadership – it’s an obligation on Arlene Foster and on Michelle O’neill, the respective leaders of the DUP and Sinn Fein, but there is also a demand for leadership from her as Secretary of State and from the UK Government.
“We’ve got now to re-establish that the Good Friday institutions have got to be made once again to work.”