People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said, "Disgraceful sectarian attacks on young people in any part of the city are deplorable and should be condemned, discouraged and acted on. What's happening on our streets and in our communities can't be separated from Stormont toxicity and austerity.
"The DUP can call on everyone who is 'peace loving' to get along but it has been in overdrive to whip-up sectarian and racist tensions. This hypocrisy needs to be challenged. What does the DUP and political unionism think will happen when it inflames sectarian division?
"The DUP's agitation for the unwanted Orange Order Garvaghy Road march intentionally ramped up sectarian tension.
"The DUP helped to incite and legitimise racist pogroms and attacks on healthcare workers.
"The DUP's attempt to criminalise opposition to Israel's genocidal war on Palestinians and link it to sectarian attacks has been disgusting and toxic.
"The backdrop to tit-for-tat sectarian attacks and provocation by young people has been Stormont cuts for youth services, hungry children in classrooms, large numbers of children trapped in temporary accommodation because of a worsening housing crisis and the criminal failure to implement a meaningful anti-poverty strategy.
"The DUP is ramping-up sectarianism and racism to deflect from its self-inflicted political crisis following scandal after scandal. But the DUP's deflection also deflects from the chronic failure by all of Stormont's main parties to help anyone except MLAs in receipt of massive unwarranted pay rises, big landlords, big developers, corporate polluters, wealthy care home bosses, health service profiteers and arms manufacturers.
"It's urgent to push back against sectarian and racist incitement by backing demands on Stormont for healthcare workers pay justice, stopping atrocious health service cuts, stopping public transport cuts and fare hikes, ending child hunger at school, opposing the Ulster University jobs cull and challenging handouts for powerful and profitable corporations when working-class households are told there's no cost-of-living support available.
"These are the demands and grassroots campaigns bringing working-class communities together. The alternative is working-class unity and opposition to toxic division and austerity."