Workers Party Rep concerned that arranged sectarian violence at Waterside interfaces could spread.
"While Youth Workers in the Waterside are working hard to de-escalate the situation they are hampered by the lack of funding for Street Outreach Youth Workers.”
Peter McGuire Workers Party Representative for Derry City has today condemned the arranged sectarian violence that young people have been engaging in at the Waterside interfaces. Peter said people are extremely concerned that this type of behavior is spreading across the city and beyond.
He continued these arranged sectarian fights took place just before Christmas in Drumahoe at the interface between the Loyalist Irish Street Estate and the Nationalist Gobnascale Estate, and as recently as last week at Ebrington Square which is a designated shared space. While Youth Workers in the Waterside are working hard to de-escalate the situation they are hampered by the lack of funding for Street Outreach Youth Workers.
There are Street Outreach Workers on the Cityside who are having a positive impact through their engagement with young people in that area. Peter concluded that people are worried about the situation becoming worse as children as young as twelve years old are taking part in these fights. Residents have said that sectarian tensions and violence in some of these areas had stopped years ago.
It is therefore very worrying that this type of recreational violence is making a comeback in a city that has so much to offer in terms of Tourism and other Cultural activities. But we now need to ensure that there are more youth facilities and activities to help young people with their personal and social development and therefore be less likely to engage in this kind of behavior, which causes trouble and problems in their City and Communities