A luxury hotel that hosted Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin at the 2013 G8 Summit is considering how it handles political events in the future after rival factions clashed at the venue. The brawl saw rival factions clash on Sunday outside Lough Erne Resort near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. The far-right Irish National Party was holding its annual conference at the five-star hotel when a group of left-wing protesters disrupted the event. Violence broke out and six people were injured – four of whom were taken to hospital for treatment. Eyewitness videos captured the moment the two teams faced off. Some of those involved covered their faces with scarves and balaclavas. Officers were quickly on the scene to separate the groups and a man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon. The National Party conference continued after police restored order. Deputy party leader James Reynolds condemned the disruption and blamed left-wing groups hostile to his party’s agenda. Lough Erne Resort described the incident as “deeply regrettable”. The hotel management said that renting function rooms to any organization does not represent any kind of endorsement by the resort. “As with any type of booking, as a commercial entity, we accept private conference bookings from around the world in good faith,” the hotel said. “We do not facilitate or tolerate this type of behavior at the resort. The health and safety of our staff and guests, along with our guest experience, is paramount, and as such we will increase our levels of due diligence in relation to bookings private conferences in the future.” The hotel says operations at the resort have returned to normal. Meanwhile, police are appealing for anyone with information about the standoff to get in touch. Want a quick and special update on the biggest news? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out what you need to know.
