Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly will meet with the Irish Government to discuss the role of people from the Republic in protests in Belfast this weekend. 

Northern Irish Justice Minister Naomi Long said she plans to speak with her Irish counterparts in the Republic  

She warned that an overdue conversation is needed regarding the narrative around migration. 

Anti-immigration protestors gathered outside Belfast City Hall on Saturday amid a wave of protests across the UK this weekend. 

Scenes of rioting and unrest have pushed Stormont and Westminster to organise emergency meetings to address growing disorder. 

People taking part in an anti-immigrant protest outside Belfast City Hall, 03/08/2024. Image: Bonzo / Alamy Stock Photo

Among the anti-immigrant protestors were people carrying Irish tricolours, along with a ‘Coolock Says No’ banner. 

Taoiseach Simon Harris said yesterday he spoke with Northern Irish First Minister Michelle O’Neill about the seeming presence of people from the Republic at protests. 

The Taoiseach expressed his “disgust at those flying the Irish tricolour whilst attacking police and spouting racism”. 

“This is repugnant to everything the Irish flag represents.” 

They also discussed “the importance of the work between the Gardai and PSNI to counter those who are trying to sow hate, racism and division in both jurisdictions on the Island”. 

Mr Harris said Belfast is a “city and society that has spent decades working to reject hate, embrace peace and build respect and inclusivity”. 

Protests in Belfast

Police in Northern Ireland have charged four men for disorderly behaviour and resisting police. 

One man was charged with three counts of assaulting a police officer, while another was charged with possession of a weapon with intent to “commit an indictable offence”. 

Several business premises were destroyed amid the violent protests. 

One man claimed his friend, a Syrian business owner in Belfast city’s centre, was targeted by anti-immigrant protestors. 

PSNI officers man road blocks in Belfast following a protest outside Belfast City Hall, 3/08/2024. Image: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

He said the scenes in Belfast this weekend took them “back to where we come from, to warzones in Syria”. 

“We thought when we came here, we’re going to be safe,” he said. 

“But when we saw this, it made us completely unsafe again – we don’t wish this for anyone.” 

The protests in Belfast and across the UK follow the killing of three young girls at a holiday club in Southport, Merseyside, last week. 

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, is accused of the attack but there was growing misinformation online that the attacker was an asylum seeker who recently arrived in the UK.