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Northern Ireland minister accused of stirring up racial tensions refuses to resign
The Guardian
|June 13, 2025
Northern Ireland's first minister has accused a DUP politician of "inflaming" tensions, as the display of political unity after three nights of violence fractured when a leisure centre in Larne was set on fire.
Gordon Lyons, the communities minister, should "consider his position", said Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin. Hours before the centre was set alight by a mob of masked youths, Lyons had posted on social media that the building was used to accommodate several people who had fled from Ballymena, which is about 30 minutes away.
Staff and customers, including children learning to swim, were in the leisure centre at the time of Wednesday's attack, which coincided with violence in Ballymena amid tensions over immigration.
Hours before the attack, Lyons posted on social media that "a number of individuals were temporarily moved to Larne Leisure Centre in the early hours of the morning following the disturbances in Ballymena.
"As a local MLA for the area, neither I nor my DUP colleagues were made aware or consulted on this decision until late this afternoon," he added. "Protesting is of course a legitimate right but I would encourage everyone to remain peaceful."
This story is from the June 13, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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