Police officers at Mossley Mill as 'concerned parents against uncontrolled immigration' group assembles before council meeting

The gathering was advertised in a post on social media highlighting “concerned parents against uncontrolled immigration” with one of the organisers insisting it wasn’t a protest and the group would be “going into” the meeting.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service three tents, in which he believed immigrants to have been camping, have been seen “moving around between Loughshore and Hazelbank Park” in Newtownabbey and “loitering” in Mallusk Playing Fields, which he claimed, is “making people uncomfortable”.

“We are not against immigrants but a group against uncontrolled immigration,” he said. After the council completed its agenda during the public session, he got to his feet to demand the local authority “sorted them down at Hazelbank” before a small group of fewer than a dozen people left the building.

A spokesperson for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council said the council became aware of a planned protest through social media.

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The spokesperson also said: “A recent report was received regarding a tent pitched in Hazelbank Park. Council officers attended the site and found the tent unoccupied. When they returned later that day, the tent had been removed.”

“There has been a previous instance of a homeless individual pitching a tent in Hazelbank Park. On that occasion, council officers engaged with the individual and support was provided through a homeless charity,” the spokesperson stated.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police were made aware of a planned protest which took place in the Newtownabbey area on Monday 30th June.

“Officers attended to ensure public safety, facilitate the right to peaceful protest and to help minimise disruption to the wider community.”

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter