A senior police officer has slammed Republican activists who disrupted a PSNI meeting in Co Armagh on Thursday night.
Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton condemned a number of masked individuals who were removed from a community engagement meeting in Craigavon.
Protesters who gate-crashed the meeting at Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre were initially denied entry to the premises due to a number of them carrying flags and banners.
A spokesperson for the group said they wished to peacefully protest before leaving their signs and symbols at the door.
After the meeting got underway, the spokesperson began reading statement leading to protestors being subsequently removed by officers by request from the meeting chairperson.
Mr Singleton said that while free speech is a “fundamental human right” it must also be balanced with upholding the “rights of others” and minimising “disruption to normal life.”
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It comes after a similar meeting was interrupted in north Belfast on Tuesday leading to two men, aged 40 and 30, being cautioned by police.
The Police Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) gathering saw a group of masked protestors enter the Girdwood Community Centre Hub where one of the disrupters delivered a speech.
A third PCSP meeting was also obstructed on Monday after members of a republican movement gathered at St Comgall’s in west Belfast.
Mr Singleton “the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are fundamental human rights [which] are protected in law and allow individuals to engage in peaceful protest”.
“However, these rights must be balanced with the need to uphold the rights of others, protect public health and safety, minimise disruption to normal life and by the need to prevent and detect crime,” he added.
“Following disruption at a District Community Safety Partnership meeting which was held in North Belfast on Tuesday 25th February, two men aged 40 and 30 years old were cautioned by police on Wednesday 26th February. A file is currently being prepared for the Public Prosecution Service for public order offences.
“Police will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the disruption caused at the District Policing & Community Safety Partnership meetings at both North and West Belfast this week, and in line with our operational procedures, we will review our plans to ensure an appropriate and proportionate policing plan is in place for similar future events.”
DUP MLA Carla Lockhart hit out at Thursday’s protest as “pure thuggery” as well as “disgraceful behaviour” and praised the PSNI for the swift removal of the masked individuals.
She added: “Those who believe they can bully and intimidate their way to dominance should hear this loud and clear: they will not win. Democracy, law, and order will always prevail.”