The PSNI Deputy Chief Constable also told the Policing Board he had not provided a character reference for the leading loyalist.

Davy Beck, Ryan Henderson and Melanie Jones have all previously served as temporary ACCs in the force

The PSNI chief constable urged people to push back against the ‘poisonous nonsense’ spread by those seeking to demonstrate against the Islamic faith.

A number of young people with masks covering their faces were at the parade carrying crates of petrol bombs and lumps of masonry.