Warning over mounting violence

Shooting occurred during a loyalist parade

A senior loyalist politician has said the current escalation of violence between rival paramilitary groupings will end in death.

Loyalist gunmen opened fire at the Rex bar on the Shankill Road during a paramilitary parade on Saturday afternoon.

Three people were injured in the shooting and seven more were hurt in shootings later on Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday morning.

At least sixteen shots were fired into a house on Amblseside Street which is next door to the family home of senior Progressive Unionist Party politician Billy Hutchinson.

Houses attacked

The North Belfast assembly member said he feared the escalating feud between the UVF and the UFF and LVF would have "serious consequences".

"It's going to end in death. I don't think there's any question in it.

"These people last night attacked this home behind us. These are innocent people, they were out at their work.

"If they hadn't been out at work at one o'clock this morning, they would have been shot dead.

"It went straight into their bedroom. The house was riddled with an AK-47.

More than a dozen houses were damaged during the disturbances in the north and west of the city.

The homes of Gusty Spence, the former Ulster Volunteer Force commander in the Maze prison, and another senior PUP member were among those attacked.

This was an attempt at mass murder by the UFF and LVF

Billy Hutchinson

Ulster Democratic Party chairman John White said an attack by UVF members on a bandsman during the Saturday afternoon parade had sparked the shootings.

"The irony of all this was that there was some development in relationships between the UVF and UFF last week which I'm led to believe and unfortunately this has knocked us way back.

"I'm appealing to both sides to look at what's going on here, particularly the UVF."

The Northern Ireland security minister, Adam Ingram, expressed "deep concern" over what he called the "ugly and dangerous scenes", and said he would be considering what steps to take.

He said: "All those with influence have a clear obligation to take steps to prevent any recurrence.

"The government will be seeking a full account from the RUC and will consider, in that light, what steps would be appropriate.

Volleys of shots were fired by masked gunmen on the platform after Saturday's parade on the Shankill Road.

Pictures published in Belfast Sunday newspapers showed Belfast deputy mayor Frank McCoubrey of the UDP sitting on the platform as the gunmen fired in the air.

I don't think we as a community can take the sort of violence we saw

Chris McGimpsey
Ulster Unionist

Referring to the shootings at the Rex bar, Mr Hutchinson said: "This was an attempt at mass murder by the UFF and LVF and I think people have to reconsider supporting people like this and parades like the one they held today.

"This was all about a show of strength and it was all about being provocative.

"This is made even worse by the fact that this pub was packed with people enjoying themselves on a Saturday afternoon, children were outside watching the parade and there was an indiscriminate attempt to kill everybody in there."

Convicted Ulster Freedom Fighters commander Johnny Adair, who was released from prison a year ago under the Good Friday Agreement, led one group of men who were carrying flags of the UFF and Ulster Defence Association (a cover name used by the UFF).

Hundreds of loyalists had also travelled over from Scotland to take part in what was described as a community event to mark the completion of new murals depicting Protestant culture.

Onlookers described it as the largest show of strength by the most sizable loyalist paramilitary grouping (The UDA and UFF) for several years.

An Ulster Unionist councillor for the Shankill area said the community was coming under attack from itself.

"I don't think we as a community can take the sort of violence we saw," said Chris McGimpsey.

He added that the situation was in danger of "spiralling out of control".