Lyons insists he will not resign following criticism of social media post
Masked youths attacked the Larne Leisure Centre on Wednesday night and set it on fire.
Northern Irelandâs Communities Minister has insisted he will not resign following criticism of a social media post sent hours before an attack on Larne Leisure Centre.
Gordon Lyons said he would âstrongly hit back at any notionâ that he had publicly revealed the facility was being used to house immigrant families who had been affected by violence in Ballymena.
Masked youths attacked the leisure centre on Wednesday night and set it on fire.
Prior to the fire, Mr Lyons posted on social media that the building had been used to accommodate several people following riotous behaviour in the town of Ballymena, which is 30 minutes away.
Police said that ethnic minorities have been targeted in the violence which they have described as âracist thuggeryâ.
Mr Lyonsâ post said: âAs a local MLA for the area, neither I nor my DUP council colleagues were made aware or consulted on this decision until late this afternoon.â
He added: âIt has now been confirmed to us by the PSNI and council that all these individuals are in the care of the Housing Executive and have been moved out of Larne.
âProtesting is of course a legitimate right but violence is not and I would encourage everyone to remain peaceful.â
Some politicians have said Mr Lyons should be considering his position and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said it was not helpful to publicise where people had been moved.
Mr Benn said he felt Mr Lyons âmight want to reflect on what he saidâ.
Mr Lyons was asked by the BBC Good Morning Ulster programme if he should still be in his job and replied: âAbsolutely.â
He said: âLet me set out the facts because it is clear that some donât know them.
âThe leisure centre was used to temporarily house those who had been affected by the violence in Ballymena.
âThis had been confirmed yesterday publicly. It was in the public domain, it was on a news website and it had been confirmed by the council.
âMy message was posted because rumours had been circulating that the leisure centre was to be turned into a permanent centre, the messages flying about that caravans were being brought into the car park there.
âA protest had already been planned at 7pm last evening.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said he would not resign (Liam McBurney/PA)
PA Wire
âThe PSNI was then in contact with one of our local councillors and they were keen that we highlight the fact that the leisure centre was no longer being used for this purpose, they wanted to stop the rumours that people were being permanently housed there and all of that was the catalyst for the protest.
âAs a result of that, I posted a clarification that the centre had been used but that was temporary and was no longer being used for that purpose.â
Mr Lyons said he believed it was right that public representatives should be consulted when emergency protocols are put in place.
He said: âI believe that information is key here so that rumours donât circulate around.
âI will very strongly hit back at any notion that I have revealed the use of this facility to the public when the protest was already planned, when everybody knew what was happening.â
Mr Benn said: âIf people have been forced out of their homes, they need to be taken to a place of safety and they need to be looked after because they will be traumatised and they will be frightened.
âI donât think it helps matters at all to publicise where they have been taken.â
Matthew OâToole, leader of the opposition in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said he would refer Mr Lyonsâ social media post to the standards commissioner.
Alliance Party MLA Danny Donnelly said there had been a âhuge attackâ in Larne.
He added: âIf I was the minister I would be considering my position.
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the ministerâs comments were not helpful (Ben Whitley/PA)
PA Wire
âI think he should seriously consider his position.
âHighlighting the location of where immigrant families who had been burnt out were taken to a place of safety on social media was reckless and dangerous, and it certainly was a factor in that protest.
âThe result we have had, the town has been attacked by a racist mob.â
Sinn Fein MLA Colm Gildernew said Mr Lyonsâ post was âreckless and inflammatoryâ.
He added: âLeadership should show responsibility â not feed into the fear of the vulnerable.â
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said the leisure centre had been designated as an emergency rest centre for those in urgent need following disturbances in nearby Ballymena but the families had been safely relocated elsewhere.
Police and firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control on Wednesday night.
The fire in Larne coincided with a third night of public disorder in Ballymena.
The violence began around Clonavon Terrace on Monday night following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area.
Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged.
Selena Gomez jokes that her sister loves Taylor Swift more than her while celebrating her birthday with touching moments and shared memories
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
LONDON (AP) â Brighton has signed teenage forward Charalampos Kostoulas, who gave up a Champions League season with Olympiakos to play in the Premier League. The 18-year-old Kostoulas signed a five-ye...
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 â Brighton has signed teenage forward Charalampos Kostoulas, who gave up a Champions League season with Olympiakos to play in the Premier League. The 18-year-old Kostoulas signed a five-ye... %23charalamposkostoulas) |
|
|
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Tottenham Hotspur have a new head coach but one of their biggest players appeared to be keen to divert the focus elsewhere
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Thomas Frank has revamped Tottenhamâs backroom team after being appointed as the clubâs new manager.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
EastEnders fans were over the moon when it was reported Michelle Ryan would be reprising her role as Zoe Slater, as they think they've 'worked out' her return storyline
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a Homeland Security press conference led by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The series stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro as father-daughter CIA operatives
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
talkSPORT.com has all the latest news, views and reaction from the world of football. Tottenham have officially announced that Thomas Frank has succeeded Ange Postecoglou as their new manager. MeanâŚ
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Thomas Frank has signed a contract until the summer of 2028 as Tottenham head coach after leaving Brentford
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Liverpool and Manchester United to battle for Osimhen? | Leverkusen in for Quansah? | Milan keeping tabs on Zinchenko?
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twenty One Pilots have shared a brand-new single, 'The Contract', from their upcoming album 'Breach'. Listen here.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
A US senator from California, Alex Padilla was bundled out of a news conference being held by President Donald Trumpâs homeland security chief, Kristi
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Next week's spoiler pictures!
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Dua Lipa confirms her engagement to Callum Turner and shares heartfelt details about the proposal and their future together.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.