Seventy-one police officers have been injured in four nights of rioting in Northern Ireland linked to the banning of a contentious Orange Order parade.
Police revealed the latest casualty toll as Assembly members prepared to reconvene to debate the impact of the dispute.
Sixty rioters have been arrested since trouble first flared on Friday night when Orangemen were prevented from marching through the republican/nationalist Ardoyne area of North Belfast at the conclusion of traditional Orange Order Twelfth of July commemorations.
Ahead of the Assembly’s recall, Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Matt Baggott urged politicians to use “calming words”.
“In the aftermath of four days of disorder and attacks on police, I would urge the Assembly to condemn all violence, unequivocally support the brave efforts of my colleagues and affirm that all protests must be both peaceful and lawful,” he said.
“The PSNI is resolved to upholding the rule of law. Today is a day for calming words and a renewed commitment from the Assembly to finding political solutions. There are already too many injured police officers and young people facing prison sentences for anything else to be acceptable.”
MLAs will meet at noon to discuss a Democratic Unionist motion which claims that attempts to build a shared future have been harmed by the decision of the Parades Commission adjudication body to block the controversial Orange Order parade on July 12.
The DUP motion, which branded the Parades Commission determination illogical, also calls for tolerance to be shown for everyone’s cultural identity.
It is the second time this month that the Stormont Assembly has been recalled for an emergency plenary session.