Stephen Farry stated: “This rioting is caused by a small minority intent on creating mayhem and inflicting violence on the police. It is not reflective of the wider community in those areas.
“However, the impact of these actions may be profound. These actions undermine attempts to tackle deprivation and to regenerate the areas affected. These actions can damage Northern Ireland’s image at a time when the focus needs to be on the economy and protecting public services.
“Everyone should rally around and show solidarity with the police, particularly when officers are now regularly getting injured in the line of duty while working to keep the community safe.
“At a political level, it is important that the Executive and Assembly push on with the creation of a new community relation strategy. Similarly, while there is nothing to be gained from trying to second guess the Parades Commission over particular rulings, work to find a shared approach to managing contentious parades needs to be taken forward.
“I hope that this police officer and all others who sustained injuries in the line of duty are able to make speedy recoveries.
“If anybody has any information about the rioting then I would urge them to contact the police.”
ENDS