Fresh trouble in Belfast

Police and troops have been attacked on streets

A delegation of loyalist councillors and community workers is expected to meet the police commander for north Belfast after another night of violence in the area.

Police dealt with a fourth successive night of disturbances in Belfast on Tuesday.

Petrol bombs, fireworks and stones were thrown during sectarian clashes in the Whitewell area.

Police were attacked by stonethrowers when they moved in to separate the rival groups.

Frank McCoubrey: "No protection"

Petrol bombs were also thrown at the police and soldiers in the Ardoyne area.

The delegation is due to meet the police commander on Wednesday.

The delegation, led by independent councillor Frank McCoubrey, will meet Superintendent Julie Lindsay.

Mr McCoubrey said there needed to be greater protection along interface areas.

He said previous calls had "fallen on deaf ears".

"There has been a lack of police presence on the ground and they were pre-warned of trouble over the weekend.

"At least four of five interface areas in north Belfast came under attack. The most worrying incident was when two young men were shot in north Belfast, over in Tiger's Bay."

Mr McCoubrey said he believed there was "an orchestrated campaign of ethnic cleansing being carried out in north Belfast".

He denied that the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence Association was orchestrating violence.

Police chiefs had said the UDA were directly behind much of the disturbances in north Belfast in recent months.

Various flashpoints

Meanwhile, motorists were warned to avoid Tates Avenue and Boucher Road in the south of the city.

A police spokesperson said a crowd of up to 50 people was throwing stones at passing cars from the mainly loyalist Village area.

The two factions blamed each other for the violence

The police came under gun attack when they moved in to separate rival mobs during rioting in north Belfast on Monday night.

Several people were injured during the violence at various flashpoints.

The attack happened as officers kept rival factions apart at Carlisle Circus.

Rival mobs hurled stones at each other in several parts of the city.

The violence came after a weekend of vicious clashes which began on Saturday after Rangers beat Celtic in the Scottish cup final.

More than 30 police officers and 10 civilians were injured over the first two nights of trouble.

There was rioting in the North Queen Street area, the Whitewell district and in the Ardoyne area, which was the scene of protests last year at Holy Cross primary school.

Ulster Unionist councillor Chris McGimpsey said there had been significant republican orchestration of the violence.

We have to get a deep breath and try and make sure this is stopped

Chris McGimpsey
Ulster Unionist

Mr McGimpsey blamed republicans for attempting to restart the Holy Cross dispute.

However, he said both communities were at fault.

"Both communities have to look at where we are going," he said.

"We are heading into the marching season and we cannot head into the marching season at the point we are leaving at this present stage. What is it going to be like in July and August?

"We have to get a deep breath and try and make sure this is stopped."