Reports nurses told by police to show ID to masked men during trouble - O'Neill

The First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, has described reports that police instructed some nurses from a minority background to show their ID to masked men before accessing their workplace as "disgusting".

Violence erupted across Belfast last week which saw people's homes, businesses and vehicles attacked and healthcare workers targeted in racist attacks.

Disorder was sparked after footage of a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday night, which left the victim with serious injuries, was shared widely on social media. A man has been charged with attempted murder.

The PSNI said it is checking records from Tuesday to establish if they can "identify any specific reports".

Many of the protests passed peacefully but elsewhere there were people who engaged in racist violence.

International healthcare workers have told BBC News NI they faced intimidation and some feared for their safety.

"If they were not with us, our health service would collapse and people would die unnecessarily," Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt said that he heard from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable about a nurse who had to "negotiate her her own way through the rioters" at Carlisle Circus in north Belfast, which is close to the Crumlin Road, where the Mater Hospital is located.

Speaking in the assembly he said "that's not right to my mind, not right at all," and added that Jon Boutcher "took that very seriously indeed".

Also speaking at Stormont, O'Neill said she intends to raise the matter with the chief constable.

She said that if any health care worker was advised by police to show ID to masked men it was "vile and disgusting" and there must be a "serious investigation".

"No nurse or person going into their workplace should have to stop at any mob and give their ID - that's absolutely disgraceful."

"I think we have to get to the bottom of whether or not that did happen.

"I put it directly to the chief constable who in the first instance dismissed it but then when I went back to him again he had to take on board that actually, both myself and the health minister were told this by members of staff," she added.

In a statement on Monday evening, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said that he and his teams have been "working directly" with health trusts and the independent health sector to "listen to their worries and see how we could help".

"On the first night of the disorder police were dealing with multiple seats of violence and protest activity across Greater Belfast and beyond," he added.

"We did receive reports of vehicles being stopped by masked individuals in the Greater Belfast area.

"Officers responded immediately and a significant mobile policing presence was maintained for a period of time to provide reassurance and prevent the commission of offences."

He said police had "committed significant resources to being in the vicinity of our hospitals to reassure and protect staff".

Henderson added that police are "aware of reports circulating that police officers may have advised nursing staff outside the Mater Hospital to show their ID to masked men" and that they are checking their records of Tuesday evening to "establish if we can identify any specific reports".

He said he had also "engaged directly with the chief executive of the Belfast Trust and with senior staff at the Mater Hospital in order to obtain any specific examples they might be aware of".

"No one has come to police directly at this stage and we would urge anyone who experienced this or who has information to contact us on 101," Henderson said.

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine broke down in tears in the assembly on Thursday while discussing the racial abuse of minority and ethnic health care workers.

She spoke about being cared for in hospital by international nurses and doctors after giving birth to her daughter, who has a heart defect.

She said while she understood the rights of people to protest, violence is "wrong" and that she wanted all those international health care staff to feel valued and protected in work.

Alliance MLA and policing board member Nuala McAllister said that she had spoken to the police on Monday and they had assured her they were taking the claims "very, very seriously".

"As a policing board member, we will be able to examine this in more detail in coming weeks," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.

She said it was important that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) "are seen to uphold rule of law", but added that the police "had a tough job last week" and commended their actions "which they were taking in order to keep people safe".

There have been a string of racist attacks in Northern Ireland over the past week, including an attack on two homes in Belfast over the weekend.