NI riot post critics were defamatory

A Stormont minister accused of “inflaming tensions” over recent trouble in Northern Ireland has warned his critics that some of their comments were defamatory.

Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and under a chorus of criticism from rival MLAs, the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP’s) Gordon Lyons again said he would not resigning as communities minister.

He accused his opponents of trying to score political points over a Facebook post about the location of migrant families who fled their homes.

The deputy leader of the Alliance party, Eoin Tennyson, accused him of being “irresponsible and reckless”.

He added: “Do you recognise if you were a minister anywhere else on these islands you would already be gone?”

But Mr Lyons hit back, saying: “I think there were a number of comments made last week by a number of individuals – and, by the way, comments that were not just wrong but they were offensive – and in many cases they were defamatory and I would just put that on the record as a warning to some people as well.”

A leisure centre in Larne, County Antrim, was attacked last Wednesday in a third night of violence in Northern Ireland.

Rioting first broke out in Ballymena, County Antrim, last Monday after a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in the town.

Earlier that day, two teenage boys appeared in court accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. They spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages.

The rioting, which broke out after the peaceful protest, was later described as “racist thuggery” by police.

On Wednesday, Lyons wrote on Facebook that he had been made aware that “a number of individuals were temporarily moved to Larne Leisure Centre” in the wake of the violence in Ballymena.

The centre was later attacked and set on fire, with Lyons being accused of “inflaming tensions” over his post.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said he should consider his position while Secretary of State Hilary Benn said he should “reflect” on his comments.

Lyons rejected any suggestion he had revealed the centre was being used, adding that the information was already in the public domain and that the post’s purpose was to counter rumours.

He subsequently said he would not be resigning, a point he reiterated on Monday in the assembly when asked by his DUP colleague Phillip Brett.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he replied.

Lyons also revealed he had a conversation with the Secretary of State Hilary Benn but he said what they discussed would remain private.

In response to a a question by another Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson about whether he had spoken to any of the migrant families temporarily house in Larne Leisure Centre, he said he had offered to and it was up to them if they wanted to meet.