First Minister Michelle O’Neill has urged Communities Minister Gordon Lyons to “consider his position” after he posted on social media about displaced individuals from the recent rioting staying at Larne Leisure Centre.
The leisure centre was attacked on Wednesday night by masked youths and was set on fire.
Speaking to the media, the First Minister said: “Those of us in political leadership roles need to call this out for what it is, and unfortunately, I believe the Communities Minister has failed in that regard. He has failed to show the correct leadership.”
“I think his commentary falls very short and very much strays into the territory of inflaming the situation, so I think that he should consider his position,” she added.
Gordon Lyons told the BBC: “The leisure centre was used to temporarily house those affected by the violence in Ballymena. This had been confirmed yesterday publicly, it was in the public domain on a news website, and it had been confirmed by the council.”
“My message was posted because rumours had been circulating that the leisure centre was to be turned into a permanent centre,” he added.
“A protest had already been planned for 7 pm last evening. The 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.”
DUP leader Gavin Robinson has told the BBC there is no need for the minister to resign.
“There is no reason for Gordon Lyons to resign, and he has our full confidence. He’s doing a good job, and the way in which what he is accused of doing has been so fundamentally misrepresented, it is a disgrace and a distraction at a time when what we need is collective political leadership against the clear issues we are facing as a society,” he said.
The fact that Larne Leisure Centre was being used to temporarily house those fleeing from the riots was publicised online, in publications such as LoveBallymena, before Lyon’s post on social media. This was raised by the DUP leader on Talkback, saying, “Gordon has been accused of revealing the location, but he did not.”
Michelle O’Neill is in no position to call for any Minister to consider their position. She has been reduced to following the SDLP lead. Instead she should show some political maturity and stop playing headline grabbing silly games.
— Gavin Robinson (@GRobinsonDUP) June 12, 2025
Gordon Lyons will not be resigning and he,…
Gavin Robinson has since posted on X, saying that Gordon Lyons “will not be resigning and he, and we, will not be distracted by the game playing.”
The SDLP leader of the opposition, Matthew O’Toole, has reported the minister to the standards commissioner over the post.
Deputy leader of the Green Party Councillor Áine Groogan has called for Lyons to resign, saying, “This is the Minister for Communities, someone with the power and responsibility to invest in regeneration, reduce the social housing waiting list, and support vulnerable communities. Instead, he chooses to stir division and deflect from his own failures.”
