Police in Northern Ireland have appealed for calm after petrol bombs were thrown at officers during an Easter parade.
The incident took place in the area of Creggan in Londonderry on Easter Monday, while officers attended what they described as an “un-notified” march by dissident republicans.
Monday marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement – a peace deal that largely ended three decades of sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland.
It is also the day dissident republicans traditionally mark the anniversary of the Easter Rising rebellion against British rule in 1916.
One speaker at the march described the event as “respectful and dignified, paying homage to the revolutionary heroes of 1916 and all the republican dead”.
The police vehicle, an armoured Land Rover, was parked away from the march when it was attacked. It briefly caught fire before it was withdrawn.
No one was reported injured during the incident, police said.
“Our officers have come under attack in Creggan with petrol bombs and other objects thrown at their vehicle while in attendance at an un-notified Easter parade,” a spokesperson for Police Service Northern Ireland said.
“No injuries have been reported at this time. We would appeal for calm.”
‘Reckless behaviour’
The incident was condemned by MP Stephen Farry, from the centrist Alliance Party.
In a post on Twitter, he wrote: “Pathetic. Young men taught to hate by faceless, politically bankrupt cowards.
“Solidarity with the peaceful residents once again living in fear and the PSNI for once again having to manage this type of situation.”
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DUP MLA Gary Middleton tweeted: “This reckless behaviour is an attempt to cause harm not only to PSNI officers but to our communities as well.
“There must be swift action to bring those responsible to justice.”
Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said: “Absolute wasters. Sent out to riot by men sitting in pubs acting the big lads.”
The attack came shortly after Pope Francis praised the 1998 Good Friday agreement.
“In a spirit of gratitude I pray to the God of peace so that what was achieved in that historic step can be consolidated to benefit all the men and women of the island of Ireland,” he said in his Easter Monday address at St Peter’s Square.
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Biden set to visit Northern Ireland
The attack on the police vehicle comes before the arrival of US President Joe Biden in Belfast on Tuesday.
The president’s trip to Northern Ireland’s capital will have a strong focus on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Police had warned that they had “strong” intelligence terror attacks were being planned against their officers on Easter Monday.
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PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said that officers would be moved to frontline duties to counter any potential threats, in a policing strategy he said hadn’t been used for years.
He said this reflected the “exceptional circumstances” ahead of the Easter weekend.
MI5 recently raised the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.
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This followed the shooting of senior detective John Caldwell in Co Tyrone, who has been left with life-changing injuries.
Police have blamed the New IRA for the attack.
