Brandon Lewis described the unrest as completely unacceptable .
Eight police officers were injured on Friday evening after being targeted in Sandy Row by a crowd of mostly young people throwing bottles, bricks and fireworks.
Mr Lewis said: Violence is never the answer. There is no place for it in society. It is unwanted, unwarranted and I fully support the PSNI appeal for calm.
He added that his thoughts were with the eight officers injured.
The trouble came after four successive nights of disturbances in the unionist Waterside area of Derry.
The disorder has flared amid ongoing tensions within loyalism across Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland leaders call for calm as 15 PSNI officers injured in Belfast rioting
belfasttelegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from belfasttelegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Carl Frampton announces retirement after losing title fight to Jamel Herring
telegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.