Petrol bombs thrown at police in Northern Ireland amid unrest

Police in Northern Ireland are calling for calm after a second night of unrest that saw petrol bombs thrown at officers and cars set on fire, the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP, 27 police officers were injured and eight people were injured during riots in Belfast and Londonderry on Friday night. 

On Saturday, three cars were hijacked and set on fire near Newtownabbey, on the outskirts of Belfast, Northern Ireland police said. 

Northern Area Commander Chief Superintendent Davy Beck said that rioters also threw at least 30 petrol bombs at officers on Saturday in an orchestrated attack against police. 

Police arrested a 47-year-old man and he remains in custody. 

People are protesting after Northern Ireland’s legislature sought to censure two dozen politicians from the Irish republican party Sinn Fein who attended the funeral last June of Bobby Storey, a former head of intelligence for the Irish Republican Army. Irish officials said they would not prosecute the politicians even though they broke coronavirus restrictions. 

Most unionist parties have called for the resignation of Northern Ireland’s police chief, claiming that the chief lost all confidence in the community.