The SDLP has criticised Sinn Féin's response to a riot in a nationalist area of north Belfast in which the PSNI said 11 of its officers were injured.
Four officers were injured when a stolen car collided with a police Land Rover in the New Lodge area around 7pm on Sunday, the PSNI said. Seven more officers were injured when they were attacked by a crowd of up to 150 people who hurled building debris at them.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Caral Ní Chúilín accused the PSNI of acting in a "provocative" manner and encouraged local people to complain to the Police Ombudsman about police behaviour. "I am questioning the tactics of the PSNI operation in which they arrested this alleged car thief in front of a crowd of young teenagers.
"They could have arrested him in any part of the area because he was allegedly driving around the area for up to an hour," she told BBC Radio Ulster.
North Belfast PSNI commander Chief Supt Gary White said his officers used a "proportionate" level of force to deal with the crowd. He said his officers came under attack while they were waiting for an ambulance for the injured car driver. "It is extremely worrying when police officers are out doing their job - and doing what I think the community wants them to do - are attacked in this way."
Sinn Féin Assembly member Gerry Kelly said based on his conversation with Ms Ní Chúilín, the difficulty from the residents' perspective was that "CS gas was sprayed directly into the faces of up to 11 people, including a pregnant woman. Now I don't think that is acceptable".
SDLP Assembly member for North Belfast Alban Maginness said Ms Ní Chúilín's response was "deplorable" and that there could be no excuse of justification for the violence. "Such a knee-jerk and simplistic reaction does nothing for the local community and avoids the issues that need to be dealt with."
