Call for new Coleraine protest, 24 hours after last one shut down Belfast to Derry train line
Calls have been made for another protest at Coleraine train station this evening (12th) – after yesterday’s shut down the Belfast to Derry intercity train line overnight.
Several bins, both household and industrial size, were set on fire last night after being dumped in the middle of a level crossing in the heart of Coleraine. The large flaming pile stopped trains from getting to the station, and forced Translink to suspend their line linking Northern Ireland’s two largest cities.
Bus replacements ran instead yesterday evening and early morning today, as the public transport firm couldn’t restart train journeys until engineers had inspected tracks at the level crossing.
Now loyalist organisations have called for another protest at the same spot tonight, as well as a further rally at Coleraine’s council headquarters on Saturday.
They’re among several more demonstrations slated for this evening and the next couple of days.
Loyalist bodies have said they will be peaceful, but disorder erupted in Coleraine last night.
In addition to the level crossing fire that knocked out intercity trains, reported police, a bus was attacked and prevented from entering the station, petrol bombs were thrown at police, while a nearby business was set ablaze after which a mob of young people broke into a tyre dealers and stole tyres to add to the fire.
Tonight’s rally, scheduled for the same location at 7pm, has been billed as “a peaceful walkaround”, with people asked to bring signs “against mass immigration and assaults on girls”.
There are also calls for a repeat of demonstrations in the Shankill and Shore Road areas of Belfast that blocked roads around rush hour yesterday evening, as well as at a central roundabout in Newtownabbey that shut down several roads.
There is also a call for a rally in Magherafelt town centre tonight.
That’s on top of fears Ballymena could kick off for a fourth night in a row, despite a slight drop in the severity of violence seen there on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile some are looking ahead to weekend protests – including Coleraine, where demonstrators have suggested picketing council offices in the evening, as well as an early afternoon demonstration at a major crossroads on Belfast’s Upper Lisburn Road.