Stephen Ogilvie’s parents told DUP Leader Gavin Robinson they do not want what happened to be “used as an excuse for intimidation or division within our society.”
The parents of Stephen Ogilvie have said they do not want the attack on their son to be “used as an excuse for intimidation or division within our society,” as his condition begins to improve.
DUP Leader Gavin Robinson said he has spoken with the parents of the victim of the stabbing in North Belfast on Thursday afternoon and that he currently remains in a coma in hospital but will hopefully be released from this within the next day or two.
Speaking at Stormont, the East Belfast MP said that Mr Ogilvie’s parents have spoken out against the recent violent disorder that has taken place and also called for an end “to the misinformation, the falsehoods and the lies” that have been circulating following the incident on Kinnaird Avenue on June 8.
The condition of the Belfast stabbing victim is “improving” and he could be released from a coma within the next 48 hours, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said.
The East Belfast MP said he met with the parents of Stephen Ogilvie on Thursday afternoon and that the family were “broken” after what had happened to their son.
Ogilvie lost his left eye in a stabbing attack on Monday night which preceded two nights of disorder in Northern Ireland.
“They have spoken very powerfully, in my view, that their desire is that what happened to their son on Monday evening is not used as an excuse for intimidation or division within our society,” Mr Robinson said at Stormont.
“They have asked me to share that whilst their son remains in a coma, his condition is improving.
“They hope, pray and trust that he will be released from that coma within the next 24 or 48 hours, at which point assessments will be made about his sight and other impacts from the atrocity that happened on Monday evening.
“They are grateful for support, but they particularly are calling for an end to the misinformation, the falsehoods and the lies that are only making a very difficult situation all the worse.”
Mr Robinson said the party had challenged immigration statistics issued by the UK Government during a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn at Stormont.
He said there was a “lack of confidence” in the protection of borders and enforcement of immigration rules.
“There are questions that still remain not only about the efficacy of the figures they have given – when they say 1,000 people have been removed from Northern Ireland, we don’t believe that that is 1,000 people removed from the United Kingdom, but simply detained in London,” he said.
“They certainly seem to be in stark contrast to the one deportation that there has been to the Republic of Ireland.”
He said it was “a farce” that someone could travel through three safe countries and then claim asylum in the UK.
“I’ve said very clearly today that this has to be about strengthening the CTA (the common travel area),” he said.
“It is not beyond the will of man, through co-operation and agreement, that if they need our co-operation to protect the borders of the common travel area, then our Government should do so and, more importantly, the Prime Minister said that he’s engaged in those conversations.”
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