Special meeting organised to discuss recent street disturbances in Derry

A special meeting is to be held this week to discuss recent street violence in Derry.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Brian Tierney, has called the meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council on Thursday to 'discuss recent disturbances and events in the city and the policing response'.

Cllr Tierney said he called the meeting as he felt it was important to provide elected members with an opportunity to discuss the ongoing tensions across communities in the council area and to look at ways they can provide support and solutions to the issues.

He said the situation was very concerning and it was important for the council to look at ways of addressing the concerns of the public and restoring calm to local communities.

He said: "As elected representatives we are very much aware of the issues on the ground among our communities.

“It is up to us to do what we can to address those concerns and use our influence to encourage dialogue, and to find solutions to the problems.

"I am hoping that by inviting all elected members to attend the virtual Special Council meeting we can work collaboratively to address the issues and look at ways in which we can help reduce tension and violence in our communities.

“It has been a difficult number of weeks and days and working together is the only way we can tackle this important issues." 

The meeting will be held virtually at 4pm on Thursday.