Stormont Minister Defends Social Media Post Amid Controversy

The Stormont Communities Minister has insisted he does not believe he has done anything worthy of apologising for following criticism over a social media post. Gordon Lyons was accused of “poor judgment” following the post, sent hours before a crowd gathered outside Larne Leisure Centre and it was set alight, causing significant damage.

Accusations and Clarifications

His post detailed that some individuals had been temporarily moved to Larne Leisure Centre in the early hours of the morning following disturbances in Ballymena, adding that as an MLA for the area, neither he nor his DUP council colleagues were made aware of that until that afternoon. He went on to say that the individuals had since been moved out of Larne, adding that while protesting is a legitimate right, violence is not, and urged everyone to remain peaceful.

Assembly Grilling

Mr Lyons faced a grilling by MLAs over the post at the Assembly on Monday. He insisted that police had encouraged him and other elected representatives to share the message that those who had fled disorder in Ballymena, and had been accommodated at Larne Leisure Centre, were no longer there. Mr Lyons pointed out that the location had already been publicised by others, and that his post pointed out that no one was sheltering at the leisure centre. He also accused those criticising him as “attempting to score political points”.