NI Protocol: Doug Beattie's office attack 'inevitable consequence'

The window of the constituency office was smashed on Sunday night

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie has said an attack on his constituency office was "an inevitable consequence" of his position on NI Protocol protest rallies.

The "cowardly attack" followed an announcement that he will no longer be attending the rallies.

The window at his Portadown, County Armagh, office was smashed on Sunday.

Rallies have been organised by unionist and loyalist representatives in opposition to the protocol.

But Mr Beattie said he will not take part and these rallies were "raising tensions".

They have been attended by Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister among others, including UUP representatives.

Mr Allister rejected Mr Beattie's claim, while Sir Jeffrey has also condemned the use of violence.

Doug Beattie says the rallies have been used to "raise temperatures"

Mr Beattie said: "It is now clear that anti-protocol rallies are being used to raise the temperature in Northern Ireland and adding to tensions that now see a resurgence in UVF activity.

"The Ulster Unionist Party will not be part of raising tensions or the temperature by bringing people onto the streets with an intent to harness anger."

The UUP leader said his party remained opposed to the protocol which, he said, had caused "real societal harm".

Speaking after the attack, he said his primary concern was for the welfare of his staff following a security alert last Friday, which led to Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney being evacuated from a venue in north Belfast.

Mr Beattie told the BBC's Nolan Show on Monday, he "wasn't stopping anyone from gathering".

'Blood and thunder rhetoric'

"What it will not do is deter me from carrying out my democratic work or speaking out when I have genuine concerns about the direction in which people are being led," he said.

"We want to see the protocol replaced and we have been expressing our consistent opposition to it since it was first mooted in October 2019, but where I differ with others is the way in which we approach that.

"We respect the right of anyone to legally and peacefully protest.

"However tensions are rising, with some spokespeople at anti-protocol rallies openly calling for people to get angry and to raise the temperature.

"Blood and thunder rhetoric from a lectern will not help nor solve the protocol problem."

Anti-protocol rallies have been held in a number of towns in Northern Ireland

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson condemned the attack on Mr Beattie's office as "completely wrong".

"I would say to whoever is responsible for this attack and, indeed, whoever was responsible for what happened on Friday in terms of the event attended by the Irish foreign minister, Simon Coveney, that this contributes nothing to our opposition to the protocol, our desire to find solutions," he added.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis described the attack as a "despicable pretty cowardly action".

Mr Lewis also told MPs at Westminster that the security alert that targeted Mr Coveney last week in Belfast was "a pretty despicable event".

He said it was right people "condemned both those actions".

Mr Lewis said Mr Coveney messaged him last week to thank him for the way the police handled the security alert in Belfast.

'Whipping up tensions'

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mr Beattie was a dedicated public servant and an attack on his office was "an attack on democracy".

Sinn Féin's John O'Dowd condemned the attack as "whipping up tensions", calling for those with influence to work to "reduce tensions and ensure these types of attack do not continue".

The Alliance Party's Kellie Armstrong said it was a "horrendous, anti-democratic and criminal" attack.

The TUV's Darrin Foster also condemned the attack, adding "everyone will have a chance to express their view on all those standing for election in just a few short weeks".

Doug Beattie has never really been a fan of the anti-protocol rallies and it is no surprise he has now cut all links with the street protests.

He wasn't invited to a rally in Portadown, close to his constituency office, and when his colleagues did attend it was at times uncomfortable.

Even before Friday's hoax security alert, the Ulster Unionist leader believed the rallies had turned into "anti-Belfast agreement" protests "designed to raise temperatures".

He was due to speak at a rally in Lurgan on Friday night alongside Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Jim Allister and loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson.

His absence will not be lost on those present.

The protocol is a special Brexit deal for Northern Ireland designed to prevent the return of a hard land border with the Republic of Ireland.

It was agreed between the UK government and the EU in 2019 and came into force in January 2021. It led to new checks and paperwork for certain goods which are imported into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

• Thousands attend loyalist protest in Belfast

Many unionists strongly oppose the protocol as it created a trade border in the Irish Sea. They argue that it creates additional costs for businesses and undermines Northern Ireland's place in the UK.

In February, the DUP withdrew Paul Givan as first minister from the Stormont Executive, citing its concern over a lack of progress made towards resolving the problems it said existed with the NI Protocol.