Northern Ireland secretary condemns Belfast riots as ‘racist thuggery’ after 12 police officers injured – UK politics live

‘If you are targeting people on the basis of the colour of their skin how else can you describe them?’ said Hilary Benn

• Full report: Police use water cannon against rioters in Northern Ireland

Good morning. Hilary Benn, secretary for Northern Ireland, has accused people online of trying to incite disorder in Belfast after two days of unrest in the city after a knife attack.

This comes after a second night of violent unrest in the area, where police used a water cannon to disperse a crowd of about 300 people who burned a truck and threw bricks and petrol bombs close to the Sandyknowes roundabout near Newtownabbey, eight miles north of Belfast.