FOUR men will appear in court later on Monday following racist violence in Belfast at the weekend.
Violence broke across South Belfast, where shops were set on fire in Sandy Row and Donegall Road and an Asian cafe was attacked by racist thugs after a crowd of 'anti-immigration' protesters left City Hall in search of city mosques.
Abdelkader Al Alloush outside his shop which was destroyed during the disorder
Earlier, the anti-immigration protest met an anti-racist counter protest at City Hall where there were tense scenes as both sides exchanged insults and abuse.
A 53-year-old has been charged with resisting police, three counts of assault on police and disorderly behaviour.
A 46-year-old man has also been charged with disorderly behaviour and resisting police.
A 38-year-old has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence, possession of fireworks without a licence, and riotous behaviour. He also faces the charge of disorderly behaviour.
A 34-year-old has also been charged with taking part in an unnotified public procession.
The four men are all due to appear before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said: “Three police officers also sustained injuries as a consequence of this disorder, two officers remained on duty and one officer was relieved from duty after suffering concussion.
“Such attacks on officers are totally unacceptable and I would place on record my gratitude for the professional actions of officers as they dealt with yesterday’s events.
“To date we have received 13 reports of criminal damage but we expect to receive more as the days progress. We are continuing to engage with communities across Belfast in this regard.
“Some of these reports included extensive damage caused to local businesses with windows being broken and damage also caused to vehicles parked in the local community – some of which were burnt out.
“There were also five reports of arson including a bin being set on fire, youths throwing petrol bombs and fire damage to business premises in the Donegall Road area. It was necessary to evacuate an apartment block in a building set on fire, such was the recklessness of the disorder.
“We are working hard to identify all those responsible in this criminal disorder and those involved will be dealt with using the full force of the law.
“This disorder, violence and destruction has no place in Belfast or anywhere else across the streets of Northern Ireland.
“I would strongly urge anyone who was involved in the rioting and disorder to think long and hard about their actions and the devastating impact this has had on local communities.
“Those who engaged in this behaviour bring nothing but shame to themselves and Belfast city.
“Their actions are completely inexcusable and we will be using every tool at our disposal to identify those involved.
“We are now in the process of gathering evidence, CCTV and other footage of yesterday’s events and anyone who has information or who can help identify those responsible is asked to contact police on 101.”
A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.
