The Five Demands

Riot arrest amid tense city stand-off (UTV)
A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with dissident republican activity linked to the riots in east Belfast, where some 100 people were kept apart by police on Wednesday night.
The suspect, from west Belfast, was detained by officers from the Serious Crime Branch under the terms of the Terrorism Act.
Police said the arrest relates to dissident republican activity, in connection with the recent public disorder and attempts to murder officers in the city.
Meanwhile a tense stand-off developed at the bottom of the Castlereagh Road, where a heavy police presence separated groups of around 100 people. Crowds eventually dispersed in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Only a few missiles were thrown and there was no signs of a repeat of the trouble seen over the past two nights in the Newtownards Road and Short Strand areas.
Earlier, First Minister Peter Robinson confirmed a senior civil servant has been appointed to urgently work with the loyalist and nationalist communities to avert fresh rioting.
He said: “The Deputy First Minister and I have had conversations during the course of yesterday and today with the police, community workers and others. Following that we have instructed one of our senior officials to engage with people in the local area and identify areas of concern”.
The face-to-face discussions are involving community leaders, police and senior loyalist and republican representatives.
Belfast Mayor Niall Ó Donnghaile also headed up a meeting of party leaders at Belfast City Hall on Wednesday. He said the immediate focus had to be on preventing further trouble.
The Mayor said: “There has been widespread recognition of the damage being caused to the city as a result of this trouble, but it is the ordinary local people who are being most seriously affected.
“The council will work with the Assembly, community and church leaders, elected politicians and statutory agencies to try to ensure a society that can live in safety and at peace with their neighbours.
Councillor Ó Donnghaile said Sinn Féin, DUP, SDLP, Alliance Party and Progressive Unionist Party, who all attended the meeting behind closed doors, were committed to finding long-term solutions by exploring why trouble had broken out.
Jim Wilson of the PUP said: “I think it was a pretty positive meeting but as we said to the police, time will tell.”
Meanwhile Presbyterian Moderator Dr Ivan Patterson has called for parents to keep their children off their streets and help prevent another night of “appalling” rioting.
Dr Patterson met with the minister of Westbourne Presbyterian Church, Rev Mervyn Gibson and residents in the affected area.
“I am absolutely appalled by what I have seen and heard. However what was very evident from the residents I spoke to was their desire for a harmonious community and to live side by side in peace with their neighbours.
“I would express sympathy to all those who have been injured and had their property damaged and offer my support to the PSNI in policing a complex situation.
“We cannot afford the cost of rioting like this both in financial terms and in the damage it does to attracting inward investment.”
Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Dromore Rev Harold Miller also appealed for calm.
“There is a better future to be enjoyed by every section of Northern Ireland society and we must determine not to be dragged back to the past by those with other, destructive agendas.
“I call on those involved to step away from this violent path and appeal for reason and calm”, he said.