Officers hurt by petrol bombs and 20 baton rounds fired amid more anti-immigration disorder - particularly in Portadown and Newtownabbey
PSNI officers have been hurt by petrol bombers in overnight disorder, the force has said, with officers firing 20 baton rounds.
Police said that "significant” trouble flared for a second night in Portadown and Glengormley in Newtownabbey, with unrest also seen in Belfast and Londonderry.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said “everyone with influence needs to do all in their power to get the thugs off our streets”.
Police came under "sustained attack” in the Antrim Road area of Glengormley with flares and masonry thrown at officers and a bin lorry, car and vacant building set alight.
Footage showed dozens of men dressed all in black and wearing face coverings, where they could be seen tearing bricks from properties and smashing paving stones with sledgehammers to create projectiles to throw at police.
A hijacked van was pushed towards police.
Water cannon and police batons were deployed, and 15 baton rounds were fired.
There were seven arrests.
In the West Circular Road area of west Belfast, 20 masked males blocked the road with missiles thrown at police.
In Portadown, a property in Carleton Street was attacked around 9pm "with disorder lasting for several hours”, police said.
At least one baton round was fired there, one officer was injured, and five arrests were made.
There was disorder in the Tullyalley Road area of Londonderry’s Waterside, with bins used to block the road and damage to a police vehicle.
ACC Henderson said in all some 20 attenuated energy projectiles (AEPs) were fired.
"We arrested 16 people, with two already charged, and 12 officers were injured, some by petrol bombs,” he said.
"I am hugely grateful for the efforts of my officers for their incredible efforts in facing down that disorder.
"It was clear from the outset that those who attended were not intent on peaceful protest, but on violence.”
He said that today officers will be releasing a fresh batch of photos of people they want to trace in relation to the disorder as part of Op Exposure.
He went on to add: “My message to those who have taken part in violence or are thinking of taking to our streets – the stakes for you are high.
"We will bring you to justice and I know the judiciary stands ready to give long sentences to those bringing disorder to our streets.
“Our communities in Northern Ireland deserve to get their lives back to normal.
"Yesterday, businesses shut their doors, trains were not running and we saw schools closing early due to fear.
"This is the impact these thugs are having.”
He also stressed: “Let me be clear. There can be peaceful protest. It is part of a democratic society.
"This bears no resemblance to that.
"We should all listen to the words of the Ogilvie family who issued an incredibly powerful statement calling for calm.
"They could not be more clear that violence is not in Stephen’s name.”
He added that officers either have been or will be brought over from GB to bolster numbers, and that “tonight we are increasing patrols of key areas and have been in contact with the health trusts and others to hear their concerns on staff welfare”, and that he is meeting reps from the union Unison today.
He concluded by saying “our children need to feel safe returning to their schools and businesses need to feel they can open their doors,” and pledged to be “robust” in installing order.
In response to a second night of disorder, NI Secretary Hilary Benn told LBC Radio: “Thugs burning people out of their homes because of the colour of their skin.
“This is not what Northern Ireland is about.”
He added: “Most importantly, the family of Stephen Ogilvie, who was so brutally attacked on Monday night, have said that they don’t want to see this.”
A trade union secretary told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme she believes paramilitary groups were “undoubtedly” involved in the Belfast unrest.
Patricia McKeown, a regional secretary for Unison, said many workers across the region had received threats since Monday’s knife attack.
She told the broadcaster: “Yesterday evening a nurse with a different skin colour was chased into the Ulster Hospital by four masked men.”
Ms McKeown said the nurse still insisted on working her shift, and has since been found alternative accommodation.
Leader of the DUP Gavin Robinson told the programme he believed there was “less” violence on Wednesday night than the previous evening.
Mr Robinson said he is against people “abusing our hospitality” and more needs to be done in “protecting” borders into the UK.
The sister of murdered MP Jo Cox urged people not to “create chaos” as she condemned the racist and violent scenes in Northern Ireland.
Kim Leadbeater said she understands anger at Monday’s knife attack but appealed for people not to “riot and cause more trouble and more problems”.