VIDEO: Councillors 'felt threatened' as masked men and protestors with Nazi SS symbol banner invaded council meeting

Some of those present in the chamber were masked, and both the group leaders of the DUP and the UUP have told the News Letter some councillors felt “threatened”.

The UUP leader Darren Guy noted that a similar thing had happened in court recently in Belfast, when a gang of masked men sat in the public gallery in what many saw as an attempt to intimidate during evidence that was being given by UVF supergrass Gary Haggarty.

Some of those present unfurled a banner calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, wherein the letter ‘s’ had been written in the style of a Nazi SS rune, inferring that Israel is now behaving in a similar way to Nazi Germany.

The banner has been seen before, as the News Letter has reported:

• Israel-Palestine latest: Nazi SS symbols appear at Northern Ireland protest against Israeli bombing / blockade of Gaza

Alderman Guy said that the council meetings do not actually have security guards, and that only people there to keep order are the councillors and ordinary council staff.

He also said that it appears no-one called the PSNI either.

“I will be asking that in future cases like this here that as soon as people enter the premises of the Guildhall looking as if they’re going to barge in for a council meeting to basically protest, that the PSNI are called to at least oversee and make members feel safer that there won’t be any wrongdoing and it’ll be kept peaceful,” said Alderman Guy.

DUP leader Keith Kerrigan said there were “councillors that were fearful” of the protestors, and that one councillor – Derek Hussey of the UUP – had been “threatened” over an apparent misunderstanding about protocol during minute’s silences.

Some protestors had apparently wanted councillors to stand during a minute’s silence, which had been called to remember all the children killed in the conflict, councillor Kerrigan said.

But many (including councillor Hussey) did not stand, because it is not custom to do so.

Alderman Kerrigan said “it was just a real shambles”.

More to follow.