Northern Ireland Protocol: Hundreds of people attend protest in Greenisland

Hundreds of loyalist protesters took part in a show of opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol in Greenisland last night (Thursday).
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Ahead of the parade, which commenced in the Seapark area, organisers posted on social media that it was being staged “against the Northern Ireland Protocol and two-tiered policing”.

Video footage posted on Twitter shows hundreds of demonstrators on the Belfast Road.

Police were in attendance and say they will now review footage from the event.

Belfast Road. Pic by Google.Belfast Road. Pic by Google.
Belfast Road. Pic by Google.

In a statement issued to the Carrick Times, Superintendent Jeremy Lindsay said: “Police were in attendance at an un-notified parade that took place in the Seapark area, near Greenisland, yesterday evening (June 17).

“Traffic diversions were temporarily in place, and there were no reports of any related anti-social behaviour.

Organisers of parades are required to give formal notification of their intentions. A number of warnings were given to participants yesterday evening and an evidence-gathering operation was in place.

“We will now review all the footage gathered and consider any suspected offences under the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998 or breaches of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021.”

The demonstration followed previous protests across unionist areas of the province over the Irish Sea customs border following Brexit and the perceived failure to prosecute participants in the funeral of senior republican Bobby Storey for potential breaches of Covid regulations.

A similar event was staged in Carrickfergus last month. For more on this story, read here

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