In Belfast, Northern Ireland, Presbyterian Church in Ireland moderator appeals for calm after overnight violence
By Gwen
Posted Oct 31, 2026 at 12:43 PM
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s General Assembly, meeting in Belfast until Friday, opened its second day with a statement from the Moderator, the Right Reverend Dr Richard Murray, on overnight violence in Belfast and other towns in Northern Ireland.
Dr Murray described a vicious assault on a man in North Belfast and said the Assembly would pray for him shortly. He also said the rioting had left the Assembly appalled.
Dr Murray acknowledged that people in a democracy have the right to protest, but said they do not have the right to riot, to intimidate, to threaten or to take life.
He commended the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the other emergency services for their work in protecting people and property. Speaking on behalf of the denomination, he made an appeal to the wider community for peace and calm, and for sense to prevail (Romans 12:18).
Dr Murray then led the General Assembly in prayer.
Source: Read the original report
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Belfast City District, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
