Northern Ireland

Teenage girl will require surgery after sustaining serious facial injuries during Derry disorder

A burnt-out vehicle in Galliagh. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
A burnt-out vehicle in Galliagh. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin A burnt-out vehicle in Galliagh. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
By Rohit Balaji

A teenage girl will require surgery after sustaining serious facial injuries during disorder in Derry.

The girl was injured on Monday night around the same time a man was dragged from his car and beaten before the vehicle set alight in Galliagh.

The girl was hit with debris from the burning vehicle, police said.

The trouble was sparked when wood and other materials were removed from an anti-internment bonfire site on Monday.

Department for Communities (DfC) said it had cleared the site due to "public safety concerns".

The attack on the man, who was hit on the head, happened at around 10.30pm on Monday in Galliagh Park in what police says was part of "sporadic public disorder".

Earlier in the evening, a brick was thrown at the window of a bus on Upper Galliagh Road.

Petrol bombs were also reportedly thrown at a bus parked on the grounds of a community centre in Bracken Park.

Other incidents reported to police included a group of youths attempting to set a van on fire that was parked at a local playschool and a delivery driver's van was attacked by two masked men in Knockalla Park.

Throughout Monday evening, bins, tyres and pallets were dragged onto roads in Galliagh and set on fire.

Derry City & Strabane Area Commander Chief Superintendent Nigel Goddard said: "What we saw unfold in Galliagh from late yesterday through to the early hours of this morning was both disappointing and worrying. 

A burnt-out vehicle in Galliagh. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
A burnt-out vehicle in Galliagh. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin A burnt-out vehicle in Galliagh. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

"We saw damage to community property, including attempts to burn a community bus and damage to a local business delivery van. Most seriously, a local man had his vehicle hijacked and set on fire, while he was also assaulted and left badly shaken-up. This type of criminal activity is totally unacceptable and should be condemned by all. Attacking and damaging vehicles and properties only serves to damage the community. It is wrong. 

"We know these events are not reflective of the community and the people who live there. Nor are they reflective of the majority of young people in Galliagh.

"We will continue to work with community representatives, and monitor the situation over the coming days. We appeal for calm and urge those with influence to use that to ensure there is no repeat of any disorder."

Earlier Monday, the PSNI said they were aware of social media messages urging assembly in Galliagh after the Department for Infrastructure removed material from the anti-internment bonfire site that morning.

Police and contractors were photographed at the bonfire location where pallets and other wood had been accumulating for weeks on a large green space near residents' homes.

Read More : 

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The department sanctioned the material removal due to "public safety reasons."

Officers were present to "prevent a breach of the peace and ensure everyone's safety," police stated.

In a statement, the DfC said the materials were removed after "extensive engagement with community groups, residents and partner organisations".

A clearing of bonfire supplies in Galliagh in 2012 resulted in three consecutive nights of civil disorder.

Earlier this month, it was announced that the city's Bogside bonfire could potentially be substituted with a musical gathering.