North Belfast gripped by fresh violence

By Jackie McKeown

Skirmishes broke out again in north Belfast at lunchtime on Monday as

tensions continued to erupt into street violence.

Rival gangs clashed on the Limestone Road but the trouble was quickly

brought under control by community workers and police, just hours after the

second serious night of trouble in the city.

Four soldiers and 10 police officers were treated for shock after they were

attacked by blast bombs which destroyed two Army Land Rovers late on Sunday

night.

An Army spokesman said the men had a very narrow escape when a device -

thrown from the loyalist side of the Limestone Road - set fire to the Land

Rovers minutes after the soldiers got out of their vehicles to deal with a

crowd of nationalist youths.

A short time later, a woman had to be treated for shock after a blast bomb

was thrown at her home on the Oldpark Road, exploding as it hit the window.

A further three police officers were injured, bringing to 31 the total

number hurt during the weekend's vicious sectarian rioting.

Sinn Fein said the trouble began when a pipe bomb was thrown into the back

of a house in Parkside Street.

"When people went out to see what happened a crowd of loyalists began a full

scale riot," said a spokesman.

But loyalist community worker Eddie McClean said the trouble was a

consequence of the shooting of two Protestants, 22-year-old George Taylor

and a 21-year-old man from Tiger's Bay, during riots in the North Queen

Street area on Saturday night.

Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers called for water cannon to be deployed for

riot control.

Police fired plastic bullets as they were attacked by crowds of up to 800

with axes, iron bars, baseball bats and breeze blocks after the end of the

Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers.

Mr Rodgers said: "Anything is an excuse for these people," he said.

"Football is a sport and, whether you win or lose, you certainly don't have

to go out and riot and cause mayhem on the streets.

"What I would like to see now is water cannons with dye used to clear our

streets.

"When you have young people of the age of eight upwards throwing missiles at

police you can't allow it to continue."

Meanwhile, the police service defended itself against condemnation of the

firing of plastic bullets during the weekend violence, saying it had saved

lives.

Supt David Boultwood said police tactics had been justified and denied his

men had been more heavy handed in their use towards any one side.

He said: "The use of baton rounds on Saturday night in particular saved

people's lives. You can't really look at it in any other way.

"If those rounds had not been available to us I have no doubt that people

would have been killed."

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