Loyalist paramilitaries say they had nothing to do with recent disorder

The Loyalist Communities Council, which speaks for loyalist paramilitary groups, has said none of their associated groups were involved in recent violence in Northern Ireland.

The PSNI has previously stated that it believes sinister elements are to blame for orchestrating vioelnce across NI in recent days, however speaking today, Friday, The PSNI now appears to have backtracked on that assessment.

It follows a statement from the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), an umbrella group representing the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando, that none of its groups were involved in rioting "either directly or indirectly''.

Responding on Friday, Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Roberts said: "It's our overall assessment that the violence that has taken place over the last few nights is not orchestrated by a group, in the name of that group.

"There are certainly people who have been engaged in violence who are nothing to do with any illegal organisation. There are young people who have gotten involved and for whatever reason that they've decided to do so."

In total, 74 police officers have been injured in more than a week of violence.

The LCC says it is firmly opposed to a hard border in the Irish Sea, but says it does want an end to current violent scenes.

In a statement, the LCC said: "The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right but we have made it clear in all our public statements that any actions taken by the loyalist community should be entirely peaceful.

"We again place on record our absolute determination to remove the hard border between Northern Ireland and the rest of our country that has been imposed on us by the NI Protocol.

"We have repeatedly urged HM Government, political leaders and Institutions to take seriously our warnings of the dangerous consequences of imposing this hard border on us and the need for earnest dialogue to resolve matters. We reiterate that message now.

"To date there has been a spectacular collective failure to understand properly the scale and nature of unionist and loyalist anger.

"Indeed there is a complete failure to understand Loyalists as people and equal citizens.

"A new Protocol must be negotiated that restores those key Agreement safeguards.

"The LCC is seeking an end to all violence and to solve the underlying concerns of the loyalist and unionist communities.''