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Man remanded in custody charged with Belfast rioting offences

The PSNI said 35 people have been arrested and 28 charged to court in connection with the recent disorder
The PSNI said 35 people have been arrested and 28 charged to court in connection with the recent disorder

A man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court in Belfast charged with rioting offences.

Jason Galbraith, 26, of no fixed abode, is charged with ten offences on the first day of serious disorder in south Belfast on 3 August, after an anti-immigration protest in the city centre.

The charges include setting fire to a car, rioting, criminal damage to an electronic gate belonging to Holiday Inn and three counts of an offensive weapon with intent - masonry bricks, a wooden plank and a metal pole.

Galbraith is also charged with interfering with a traffic sign at Sandy Row and criminal damage to a car.

He indicated he understood the charges when he appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Monday.

No application for bail was made and Galbraith was remanded in custody.

Further court appearances are expected in Belfast and Downpatrick after a number of arrests across the weekend.

A 58-year-old man charged with possessing written material intended or likely to stir up hatred or arouse fear will appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court later.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones said 35 people have been arrested and 28 charged to appear before court since the disorder began earlier this month.

Meanwhile, police are investigating a report of intimidation at a park near Manse Road, Castlereagh, on Sunday.

A man was walking in the park at about 7.15pm when he was approached by six young people, who shouted abuse and intimidated him. As he walked away, the group threw stones at him.

The man was not injured and the Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was being treated as a racially motivated hate crime.

"We now have 35 people arrested and 28 charged to court in connection with the recent disorder," Ms Jones said.

"On Sunday, we released another five images of individuals whom we would like to speak to in connection with our ongoing investigation into disorder and attacks on police officers since Saturday 3 August.

"Twenty officers have been injured since the disorder began, including one female officer sustaining severe facial injuries and another male officer with a broken leg.

"Assaults on our officers for doing their job is not acceptable.

"The various reports and incidents since last Saturday have been a disgrace and I am appealing to the public directly, do not let these criminals hide in your community.

"Anyone with any information should contact police. We have set up a major incident public portal for people to submit information, images and footage.

"Our public order inquiry team will continue to review footage to attempt to identify those involved, as well as those organising and orchestrating this disorder.

Derry city violence 'entirely unjustified' - mayor

The violence over the weekend in Derry was "entirely unjustified", the city's mayor has said.

A number of PSNI officers have been injured during disorder in the Nailors Row area on Saturday night.

"My thoughts are with the officers injured, and I wish them a full and speedy recovery," Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr said.

She said that some children throwing petrol bombs were of primary school age.

"They don't understand that these police officers are human beings, and they are also fathers. They are sisters and brothers of people and are there to protect us all," she said.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Seenoi-Barr said they did not know who was behind the incident.

It was appalling to witness children being used and being put in a position "where they are criminals" and risk destroying their lives because of acts of violence, she said.

"I think the police were very well prepared, it has been such a difficult week for the police. They are under extreme challenging pressures the whole of this week dealing with ongoing tensions and incidents of intimidation across the whole district and, in fact, a whole region," Ms Seenoi-Barr added.

She is encouraging anyone with information to pass it on to the PSNI.

Elsewhere, police investigating an attack on a mosque in Co Down on Saturday have arrested a man in his 40s.

In a statement, the PSNI said the man was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including attempted arson, possessing a petrol bomb, and attempted intimidation.

The arrest came after officers carried out searches at two properties in Newtownards.

Police had described the attack as racially motivated.