SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MLA has condemned an incident where two police officers were shot at with a heavy calibre weapon.
The Foyle MLA said that violent dissident republicans have chosen a fight with the people of Ireland and that it is a fight they will never win.
The officers cheated death when bullet proof windows and armour plating saved their lives during the attack in Belfast on Thursday night,
Police chiefs condemned the attack as “mindless” and “reckless’ in a residential area.
Mr Eastwood said: “First of all, my thoughts are with the two police officers who were targeted in a reckless attempt to bring murder back onto the streets of Belfast.
“It was an unjustifiable attack and we’re only lucky that we aren’t dealing with a number of deaths today.
“Those engaged in violence for dissident political purposes have failed to learn the lessons of our past and they have failed to abide by the will of the people of Ireland.
“They are doing a massive disservice to the cause of nationalism and only succeed in delaying the challenge of reconciliation and the prospects of Irish unity.
“Their fight is not with the British Government or with the PSNI.
“They need to know that their fight is with us. It is with the Irish people.
“There can only ever be, and has only ever been, one winner in that fight.
“Whether it’s in west Belfast, west Tyrone, Derry or Dublin; the people of Ireland will resist those who attempt to resurrect the violence of the past.”