The Deputy Mayor of Derry City & Strabane, Alderman Derek Hussey, has expressed his dismay and anger at the planting of a bomb in Londonderry’s Bishop Street on Saturday night.
Alderman Hussey, who is also Ulster Unionist Group leader on the Council, said:
“There can be no justification for the planting of a car bomb in Londonderry’s Bishop Street area on Saturday evening.
“Those who carried out this act had no thought for the safety and well-being of fellow citizens, much less the hard pressed economy and the impact this will have on the city’s businesses, nor the impression given to visitors to our area.
“These are by their very nature, inherently unstable devices, and history tells us that they can detonate prematurely, whilst being assembled or transported. That of course is of no concern to the criminal elements within our society who undertake these actions in order to subdue their fellow citizens.
“This is nothing less than fascism, where violence and the threat of violence are used to terrorise people and communities, and these people need to be rejected and rooted out from our midst for the good of all.
“There is neither cause nor desire for a return to the type of scenes exhibited all too often in the violence of the past and I urge anyone with information on this matter to contact the authorities.”