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| Belfast riots lead to questioning of police tactics over flag dispute | Belfast riots lead to questioning of police tactics over flag dispute |
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| Police tactics came under scrutiny on Saturday night after their decision to route loyalist demonstrators past a nationalist area in east Belfast erupted in riots. | Police tactics came under scrutiny on Saturday night after their decision to route loyalist demonstrators past a nationalist area in east Belfast erupted in riots. |
| The police casualty list reached 16 overnight as officers were injured trying to quell sectarian clashes linked to the union flag dispute. The police officers were taken to hospital following rioting between nationalists and loyalists in Castlereagh Street in the east of the city. | |
| At one stage on Saturday afternoon there was hand to hand fighting between Catholic residents of the Short Strand area and loyalist marchers returning from Belfast city centre. Several police officers were taken to hospital following the rioting between nationalists and loyalists in the Castlereagh Street/Albertbridge Road area in the east of the city. Rioters also hijacked a car and set it on fire on the Beersbridge Road area during the early evening disturbances. | |
| The disorder broke out after hundreds of loyalist demonstrators passed by the Catholic Short Strand district shortly after 3pm. They had been returning from a loyalist rally outside Belfast city hall at lunchtime to protest against the council's restrictions on flying the union flag there. | The disorder broke out after hundreds of loyalist demonstrators passed by the Catholic Short Strand district shortly after 3pm. They had been returning from a loyalist rally outside Belfast city hall at lunchtime to protest against the council's restrictions on flying the union flag there. |
| Loyalists claimed that they were attacked first as nationalist youths from the Short Strand threw bricks and bottles as they were coming back from the protest. Nationalists complained that the loyalist march should never have been routed past their homes in the Short Strand. | |
| There was a tense standoff in the area on Saturday evening with lines of armoured police vehicles, some of them with giant canvas screens, and dozens of riot squad officers standing between rival groups of loyalists and nationalists. A number of senior loyalist politicians including the leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force-linked Progressive Unionist party, Billy Hutchinson, later arrived in the area to try and prevent further trouble erupting. A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) helicopter hovered above the interface and monitored the situation from above. Last week the police helicopter helped locate a man who allegedly fired shots at police lines during a riot on the nearby Newtownards Road. | There was a tense standoff in the area on Saturday evening with lines of armoured police vehicles, some of them with giant canvas screens, and dozens of riot squad officers standing between rival groups of loyalists and nationalists. A number of senior loyalist politicians including the leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force-linked Progressive Unionist party, Billy Hutchinson, later arrived in the area to try and prevent further trouble erupting. A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) helicopter hovered above the interface and monitored the situation from above. Last week the police helicopter helped locate a man who allegedly fired shots at police lines during a riot on the nearby Newtownards Road. |
| A PSNI spokesman confirmed that one plastic baton round was fired during the disturbances at the sectarian interface which was the scene of six consecutive days of violence last week. The PSNI also fired water cannon at the rioters from both sides who bombarded police officers with bricks, bottles and other missiles. | A PSNI spokesman confirmed that one plastic baton round was fired during the disturbances at the sectarian interface which was the scene of six consecutive days of violence last week. The PSNI also fired water cannon at the rioters from both sides who bombarded police officers with bricks, bottles and other missiles. |
| Bus services into east Belfast were also suspended on Saturday with the prospect of further rioting breaking out in the area. | Bus services into east Belfast were also suspended on Saturday with the prospect of further rioting breaking out in the area. |
| Questions were raised over the policing of Saturday's march, particularly regarding the decision to route the loyalists back into east Belfast via the Albert bridge over the river Lagan. This route passes by the nationalist areas of the Market and Short Strand, the latter turning once again into a violent flashpoint on Saturday evening. | Questions were raised over the policing of Saturday's march, particularly regarding the decision to route the loyalists back into east Belfast via the Albert bridge over the river Lagan. This route passes by the nationalist areas of the Market and Short Strand, the latter turning once again into a violent flashpoint on Saturday evening. |
| Local Sinn Féin councillor Niall Ó Donnaghaile said tensions are running high among residents after five weeks of protests in the area. | Local Sinn Féin councillor Niall Ó Donnaghaile said tensions are running high among residents after five weeks of protests in the area. |
| "We've a number of homes along the Albertbridge Road seriously, seriously damaged. That's the impact of an illegal parade," he said. "What has been allowed to happen here is an absolute disgrace and now we as a community have to deal with the fallout of illegal protests, anti-democratic protests and people who simply cannot tolerate the fact that the Short Strand as a community exists." | "We've a number of homes along the Albertbridge Road seriously, seriously damaged. That's the impact of an illegal parade," he said. "What has been allowed to happen here is an absolute disgrace and now we as a community have to deal with the fallout of illegal protests, anti-democratic protests and people who simply cannot tolerate the fact that the Short Strand as a community exists." |
| Loyalist community worker Jim Wilson criticised the police decision to block the Queen's bridge resulted later in disturbances on the Albert bridge near Short Strand. | Loyalist community worker Jim Wilson criticised the police decision to block the Queen's bridge resulted later in disturbances on the Albert bridge near Short Strand. |
| "It's not four hours ago I sat down with police and I warned them that this possibly could happen," he said. "I said to them, if they do not let them through then they will take an ulterior route and the problem is they took an ulterior route and they came round this way and then police were not prepared for that." | "It's not four hours ago I sat down with police and I warned them that this possibly could happen," he said. "I said to them, if they do not let them through then they will take an ulterior route and the problem is they took an ulterior route and they came round this way and then police were not prepared for that." |
| Up to 1,000 protesters had demonstrated earlier on Saturday at Belfast city hall against the council's decision last month to end its policy of flying the union flag 365 days a year. The main march into the city centre from east Belfast for the rally passed off without incident. | Up to 1,000 protesters had demonstrated earlier on Saturday at Belfast city hall against the council's decision last month to end its policy of flying the union flag 365 days a year. The main march into the city centre from east Belfast for the rally passed off without incident. |
| Meanwhile, part of the Belfast to Dublin railway line had to be closed earlier yesterday due to a bomb alert near the tracks. The PSNI confirmed that a small but viable pipe bomb device was found in Donegall Avenue on Saturday morning. A number of homes had to be evacuated during a security operation to deal with the bomb while rail passengers travelling from Dublin had to be taken by bus from Newry to Belfast. | Meanwhile, part of the Belfast to Dublin railway line had to be closed earlier yesterday due to a bomb alert near the tracks. The PSNI confirmed that a small but viable pipe bomb device was found in Donegall Avenue on Saturday morning. A number of homes had to be evacuated during a security operation to deal with the bomb while rail passengers travelling from Dublin had to be taken by bus from Newry to Belfast. |