SDLP Calls For An End To Violence In North Belfast

The SDLP has called for an end to violence at an interface in north Belfast, following an attack on two young boys near Yorkgate on Sunday evening.

A 13-year-old was taken to hospital following an attack in the area earlier this month.

SDLP councillor Paul McCusker said: "This is the second attack in this area in a matter of weeks with an apparently sectarian motivation and I'm calling on the young people involved to wise up before someone gets seriously hurt or worse. This is a public area that is used by people from all over our city and nobody has the right to intimidate anyone or make them feel uncomfortable.

"The vast majority of people in this area want to live peacefully alongside their neighbours, we have much more in common than what separates us and when we see incidents like this happening in our community it's important that we call it out, challenge it and do all we can to stop it.

"We need our community leaders to work alongside our elected representatives to lower tensions in this area and send a clear message that this won't be tolerated. I would also ask parents to ensure that their children are not engaging in this kind of activity. The majority of our young people are a credit to this area and should not be demonised, but the last thing we want is to see any young person ending up with a criminal record which could have a significant impact on their future."