Housing association tells residents to leave homes ahead of protest

A housing association has warned its residents to leave their homes and take measures to protect their properties ahead of a planned protest in County Armagh.

Arbour Housing in Portadown sent a letter to its residents stating Thursday's demonstration in the town is "directed towards migrants, foreign nationals, and what are perceived as deviant behaviour".

The letter added that the demonstration could lead to an "unsafe situation" and advised them to "stay with family or friends during the protest".

The Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Ryan Henderson said they will ensure an "appropriate and proportionate policing response" to any protest.

Arbour Housing's letter to residents also said they should take measures to "secure your property and belongings".

A poster promoting the protest, which has been shared widely on social media, said it is "time to take a stand" and "stop welcoming these illegal migrant gangs".

It added that a planned demonstration on Tuesday was a "no show due to the short notice".

Groups sharing details of the protest on social media said it will be "peaceful".

It comes as Northern Ireland saw three nights of violence after a peaceful protest in Ballymena, County Antrim, descended into a riot.

The trouble has spread to Larne, where a leisure centre was set on fire, Coleraine and Newtownabbey.

Forty-one PSNI officers were injured in the disturbances and 12 people have been arrested.

Elsewhere, the PSNI said protests in Antrim and Lisburn ed off without incident.

ACC Henderson said they are aware of social media posts calling for protests across Northern Ireland on Thursday and the week ahead.

"We urge anyone who plans to attend these protests to engage with us as we will be doing our part to ensure the safety of participants and to facilitate the lawful exercise of freedom of expression," he said.

"Police will not tolerate a repeat of the scenes we saw last night in Ballymena and other parts of Northern Ireland.

"We will continue to diligently monitor the situation to ensure an appropriate and proportionate policing response and we will be engaging with groups likely to be affected by any protest activity."

Commenting on the Portadown protest, DUP MP Carla Lockhart said there is a "legitimate concern" about illegal immigration but urged those taking part to "remain calm and respectful".

"Lawful protest is a right in any free society, but it must not tip into confrontation or chaos," she said.

"We have already seen in Ballymena how genuine grievances can be hijacked by a minority and spiral into violence. That is neither wanted nor welcome.

"We must also that many people from different cultures have been part of our community in Portadown and surrounding areas for years.

"They are working in our hospitals, schools, and businesses contributing positively to society."

Sinn Féin MLA John O'Dowd said reports of a "racist protest" in Portadown are "deeply disturbing and disgraceful".

"We have already seen the misery that racist thugs have inflicted on the people of Ballymena and elsewhere - those scenes must not be repeated in Portadown."

The Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Grainia Long, said: "Our teams have been assisting households affected by the civil disorder."

She added that they organisation has provided emergency, temporary accommodation for a small number of families in the Mid and East Antrim area.

"We continue to work with partners as part of the response to the situation," she said.

"As the organisation tasked with responding to homelessness in Northern Ireland, we are also here to provide for households who present as homeless."