Paisley angry over Drumcree riot charges

Charging loyalist rioters at Drumcree with the scheduled offence of riotous assembly is the equivalent of using internment against Protestants, it was claimed today.

Ian Paisley Jr has called for similar charges to be brought against republicans who rioted in Ballymena and Belfast recently, or for the scheduled charges brought against rioters at Drumcree to be withdrawn.

He said: ‘‘The police are not showing the evenhandedness that they ought to. I am concerned that it is once again one law for Protestants and a softly, softly approach against republicans.

‘‘I fear that this very serious charge is being used as an equivalent to internment against Protestants while republicans are getting away with a much lesser charge.

‘‘I have today tabled a series of questions at the Policing Board about this matter calling for clarification from the police about how they intend to address this matter.

‘‘If every accused rioter were charged under this severe law then my complaint would be considerably weakened.

‘‘But when only Protestants are charged after one incident when there has been weeks of rioting republicans resulting in hundreds of injuries to police officers I find it a double standard.

‘‘Orangemen whom I have spoken to rightly condemn the violence but they do not want their support for law and order to then be used to silence their right to fairness, justice and their human rights to be side-stepped.’’