Northern Ireland riots: Children’s commissioner says influence of adults in disorder 'amounts to child abuse'

The Children’s Commissioner has said the recent violence on Northern Ireland’s streets has been caused by “criminal exploitation” of “at-risk” children and young people.

Koulla Yiasouma added that the behaviour of some adults in contributing to the actions of young people amounts to child abuse.

While the streets were quiet on Saturday night, a total of 88 PSNI officers have been injured during the disorder of recent days.

Hours earlier police had appealed to parents, guardians and community leaders “to use their influence to ensure we do not see a repeat of such ugly scenes” after trouble flared in Belfast and Coleraine on Friday night.

A number of loyalist protests scheduled to take place on Friday night were called off following the death of Prince Phillip.

Signs have appeared in the west Belfast area saying all PUL (Protestant, unionist, loyalist) protests were called off as a mark of respect to the Queen and the Royal family.

“The continued opposition to the NI Protocol and all the other injustices against the PUL community will take place again after the period of mourning,” the signs read.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme, Ms Yiasouma described the violence as “criminal exploitation and coercion by adults of vulnerable and at-risk children and young people”.

“These adults have to be held accountable and stopped,” she added.

When asked if it amounted to abuse of children, she replied: “Child abuse is a very loaded term but I think it is within that safeguarding family of abuses children may suffer and experience.

“When it comes to safeguarding issues I would put it in that group, yes.”

“Enough is enough when the first petrol bomb or stone is thrown,” she added.

“It’s criminal actors trying to take control and what we need is a calm narrative from our politicians.

“We need them to be seen, to be supporting our community workers on the ground.

“These young people are still there. They're still living in our segregated community.

“It shows how fragile some of the communities are and that is in spite of the fantastic work people are doing and over 20 years of relative peace.”

Ms Yiasouma called on the UK Government not to dismiss the concerns of people living in Northern Ireland.

She added: “We are living a reality here. When you work on a protocol, when you decide on something like Brexit or any other policy that has an impact on Northern Ireland; understand what's going on on the ground, talk to those communities, talk to those communities and young people, find out what it might mean.

“Nothing about us without us I suppose is what I want to say to the government, because you've seen these are our children's lives and futures and they're far too important to be playing about with in politics.”

Meanwhile former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Hain said the current situation calls for a prime ministerial visit.

“It took six nights of rioting before Boris Johnson even issued a tweet,” he told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend programme.

Lord Hain said Mr Johnson should meet loyalist representatives, who he said “needed to be listened to”.

He added that he fears another collapse at Stormont “if we don’t get a hands on approach from Number 10”.

During Friday's disorder, which started shortly after 5pm, petrol bombs and masonry, including roof tiles, were thrown at police in the Tigers Bay area of Belfast.

There was also an attempt to hijack vehicles on Limestone Road and, on North Queen Street, a car was hijacked and set on fire and pushed towards police lines.

Three male teenagers, all aged 14 years old, were arrested during the disorder and they have all been released pending further enquiries.

As a result of the disorder on North Queen Street, 14 officers were injured.

Trouble also flared in Coleraine after number of youths gathered in the Ballysally area blocking roads and burning debris.

Earlier on Friday, Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill voiced her concern that the violence of recent days will continue throughout the weekend.

Belfast Telegraph