THE statement by the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which represents the Ulster Volunteer Force, the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Red Hand Commandos, states that these groups have not been involved in the recent violence and urged people not to get drawn into violent confrontations.

Community volunteers came onto the streets to try to encourage young people not to get involved in the rioting, but it could be said that the LCC in the loyalist community is especially well placed to ensure that people do not come onto the streets.

The reasons given for these riots are related to opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol and the controversial decision last week not to prosecute 24 Sinn Fein politicians for attending the funeral of former IRA man Bobby Storey during strict Covid-19 rules limiting public gatherings. The funeral drew around 2,000 mourners.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) cited police engagement with funeral organisers and a lack of clarity in Stormont’s coronavirus regulations as reasons why they ruled out taking action.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has called on the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Simon Byrne to resign, saying that he has lost the confidence of the unionist communities.

However, his actions with Black Lives Matter (BLM) seem to be less of a problem.

In June 2020 a number of public events took place in Belfast during the lockdown.

The BLM protest was the only one where the PSNI made a decision to actively fine people. What did this say to us?

The policing of Black Lives Matter differed significantly and substantially from the policing at the Protect Our Monuments event on June 13, organised to coincide with a BLM rally which did not happen.

Both protests took place when public health regulations placed restrictions on such gatherings. Ombudsman Marie Anderson’s investigation revealed that BLM protesters had not been dealt with equally.

On a positive note, Alliance for Choice, along with others, raised £25,000 to pay any fines issued to BLM marchers — much more than was eventually needed.

Going back to the rioting, we have to ask if the young people throwing the petrol bombs fully understand the implication of the Northern Ireland Protocol?

Where do they get the petrol from, who is paying for it and do the garages have CCTV footage of people filling cans? The days of extracting petrol through a pipe from petrol tanks are gone — all cars have locked petrol caps, unless of course someone is giving up their car keys for such use.

The majority of rioters were young people but on the roadside were adult bystanders clapping them on as if it was an egg and spoon race in a school sports day.

The danger to life, jobs and services was amplified when a bus was set on fire on April 7: the driver and passengers managed to get off the bus which was then put into low gear and sent on its way, burning and driverless, down the Shankill Road.

The trade unions responded to the situation with a statement and a meeting outside the City Hall.

Davy Thompson and Peter Maklin, representing the trade unions Unite and GMB, said: “Following the incident yesterday evening which involved an attack on a bus, we would call on all those with influence inside communities to use that influence to calm down the current situation.

“As trade unions our first priority is the safety and welfare of the drivers and passengers. We will not stand by and watch bus drivers run the gauntlet of violence.” Buses have been taken off in the evening in certain areas.

The loyalist statement calls for a new protocol to be negotiated to restore key Belfast Agreement safeguards.

In practice this means no hard border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom and no hard border on this island.

The problem is that getting out of the EU is like getting out of a paramilitary organisation — it can only be done at a price, in this case the EU’s price.

The cause of the problems which the unionist and loyalist communities have cited, the border and policing, must be solved politically.

In addition to those orchestrating the violence, the British and Irish governments, the EU and the DUP should be held responsible for this situation.