Youth set on fire as riots grip Derry

A young man is set on fire trying to set fire to a van hijacked last night at Derry & # 39; Bogside.

The hooded young man, who had his face covered with a scarf, was trying to light an executive maintenance van using a gasoline canister and a Molotov badtail lit. when he ignited his tracksuit at the bottom of the Lecky Road Bridge. during a fifth night of unrest in the region.

He disappeared into a side street and we do not know if he consulted a doctor.

The van had already been hijacked by two masked gunmen in Creggan. The gunmen abandoned the vehicle in the Bogside in preparation for the bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Reverend Ken Good, and the Bishop of Derry, Dr. Donal McKeown, who were visiting the area to meet people affected by the troubles.

The bishops issued a joint statement condemning the violence and urging parents to use their influence to stop it.

"The continual attacks against the fountain – in fact, attacks on people in any part of our community are an affront to our society and deserve our unqualified condemnation," they said.

Their comments come as a Republican dissident group Saoradh warned of further violence after the police made a number of arrests.

A 16-year-old boy was charged with disorderly behavior, badaulting the police, resisting the police and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place after the disturbances there are two nights. Two men, aged 20 and 50, were also arrested.

A spokesman for Saoradh, Paddy Gallagher, said that until their arrest, they "were rebadured by the youth that the fountain would no longer be targeted."

The arrests have "done nothing but encourage young people and ensure that there will be further violence in the days to come".

Irish Independent