Firmer hand needed in tackling Palestine protests, says Doug Beattie after police in England and the Republic of Ireland tackled protests over the weekend
Police need to take a firmer hand when policing Palestine protests in Northern Ireland, a leading MLA has said.
Doug Beattie’s comments came after police in England and the Republic of Ireland tackled protests over the weekend, with almost 500 arrested in London during a large-scale Saturday rally backing banned group Palestine Action while police in Dublin pepper-sprayed pro-Palestine activists who tried to block Dublin Port Tunnel on Sunday.
The weekend action came after Thursday saw serious traffic disruption in Belfast during both rush hours at the hands of Palestine campaigners.
And as a shocked UK struggled with the aftermath of last week’s murderous attack on a Manchester synagogue, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said large-scale demonstrations over Gaza had caused “considerable fear” for the Jewish community, pledging to give police extra powers to crack down on them.
For Doug Beattie, the PSNI need to be firm in tackling the issue, stating: “We need to take a firmer stand.”
He told the News Letter: “Police need to be proactive in everything they do, whether that’s gathering evidence to make arrests, or making immediate arrests as a situation unfolds.
“People have the right to protest and we need to protect their right to protest, but we can’t have them disrupting everyone’s life by protest.
“People have the right to protest, but they do not have the right to block people in their vehicles, to block them from going to work, to block them from going about their lawful business. If they do, then a firm hand needs to be taken.”