29 September 2026

SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has condemned a second night of disorder in Derry's Waterside and appealed to those encouraging young people onto the streets to stop.

SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said:

"There is no justification for what we have seen in the Waterside over the past two nights. Petrol bombs, bottles and other missiles have been thrown at police officers who are there doing their job and protecting the community. This behaviour puts lives at risk and brings fear and disruption to people who want no part of it.

"It is deeply concerning to see young people involved. We have been here before and we know how this works. Those winding young people up and sending them onto the streets are very rarely the ones who end up in the back of a police car or standing before a court. There is nothing rebellious about allowing a child to wreck their future on somebody else’s behalf.

"We also cannot ignore the wider atmosphere at present. Drumcree has reopened an extremely painful and sensitive issue and there is a responsibility on everyone, political representatives included, not to feed tension around it. Nobody should be trying to import that dispute onto the streets of Derry or use genuine anger and anxiety as cover for violence. A petrol bomb thrown in the Waterside will not help a single person on Garvaghy Road.

"Derry knows where this road leads and nobody should be interested in travelling down it again. Anyone with influence over those involved needs to use it, and anyone encouraging young people into disorder needs to stop. There are enough people working hard to make these communities stronger without others trying to drag them backwards."