Sunday marked the third night of disorder in the cities of Belfast and Derry / Londonderry, where police were targeted by gas stations and cars hijacked and set on fire.
The clashes involved children as young as 12, according to a statement from the Northern Ireland Police Service (PSNI).
On Saturday night, 30 petrol bombs were dropped on the police in Newtownabbey, Belfast and three vehicles were hijacked and set on fire, the police said, in what they described as an “orchestrated attack”.
It followed riots on Friday in both cities after the decision not to prosecute the leaders of the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein for allegedly breaking the restrictions on coronavirus by attending the funeral of a major IRA figure during the blockade in the last year. The decision is being reviewed.
Instead, it creates a de facto border in the Irish Sea, as products entering Northern Ireland from Britain are subject to EU controls – a move that has angered pro-British unionists.
The police considered the escalation of violence to be “unacceptable” and called on residents to help dispel local tensions and prevent further incidents.
David Campbell, president of the Loyalist Communities Council, recently told CNN that “it is very easy for things to get out of control, which is why it is essential for dialogue to happen … but [if not] for Covid’s restrictions there would have already been demonstrations – I have no doubt that the ports would have been blocked. “
Speaking about Friday’s incident, Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey said in a statement: “Tonight, unfortunately, we saw skirmishes between young people and PSNI in the Sandy Row area after a protest organized by legalists against the protocol . “
“I call on the DUP and political unionism to show leadership, to end their dangerous rhetoric and to ensure that there is an urgent easing of tensions,” added Maskey.
CNN’s Kara Fox contributed to this report.