Museums close early due to serious disorder in Belfast

Cultural institutions in Belfast were among many venues across the city centre that closed early this week due to violent unrest.

The Ulster Museum shut at 1600, an hour earlier than its usual closing time, on 10 June, while the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum closed its doors at 1400 that day.

The latter also cancelled a number of events scheduled as part of the Belfast Learning Festival, including talks on Sheila the Elephant: A Wartime Tale from Belfast, and Hidden Belfast: Civilian Voices from the Blitz.

A statement from the museum said: “We are very sorry for any disappointment or inconvenience this may cause. The safety of our visitors, participants, staff, and facilitators is our priority. Both events will be rescheduled as soon as possible, and we will share updates on the new dates once confirmed.”

A National Museums NI spokesperson the adjustments were made “in line with operational considerations and to support the safety of visitors and staff”.

It added: “We continue to monitor the situation closely and will communicate any further changes through our usual channels.”

Both museums reopened as usual today [Thursday 11 June].

Less-central museum sites in the city, such as Titanic Belfast and HMS Caroline, have continued to operate as normal.

Serious disorder broke out on 9 June after the circulation of graphic footage online showing a knife attack on a man later named as Stephen Ogilvie.

Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, has been charged with attempted murder.

The incident sparked rioting and racially motivated arson attacks in parts of Belfast, and other areas such as Newtownabbey and Portadown.

In a joint statement, party leaders at Belfast City Council said: “Belfast stands against violence, racism and hate. There is no place in Belfast for these, and our council stands in solidarity with all those affected by them.

“We recognise the impact that Monday’s incident in north Belfast and last night’s disorder in parts of the city is having on residents, communities, businesses and visitors – but these incidents do not represent our city.

“Belfast is a safe place – one of the safest cities in the UK. Our city has been through tough times before, but we have come together to build a better future – one which we all want to protect.”

The statement added: “All organisations, including our council, are faced with challenging decisions as they work to strike the right balance between protecting staff welfare and ensuring vital services continue as normal.

“But we want to be clear - disorder on our streets helps no-one. It damages individual lives, local communities and businesses, our city and our wider reputation.”

According to the police, 16 people were arrested following the second night of violence yesterday, while 12 police officers have been injured.