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PIPE BOMBS, BLAST bombs and other missiles were thrown at police lines in Belfast yesterday, the fourth consecutive night of violence in the city.
The PSNI said that at least one pipe bomb-type device was thrown at officers in the Ardoyne area in the early evening.
Describing the explosion, Superintendent Emma Bond said the force was “extremely fortunate” it wasn’t more serious and that all personnel were able to walk away unharmed.
Blast bombs were also thrown in east Belfast by a group of masked men in Pitt Park.
Over on the Newtownards Road, police deployed water cannon and plastic baton rounds as they tried to disperse rioters.
Bond urged community leaders to exert their influence in the coming days to ensure calm in the area.
A number of roads were closed throughout the night as crowds continued to build up and the A4 dual carriageway was shut for a period as a number of tyres were set on fire.
A loyalist rioter attacks riot police in the Woodvale area of north Belfast. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
The violence, which began as the Parades Commission blocked an Orange Order march on 12 July, has been condemned by politicians from all parties.
According to the White House, US vice president Joe Biden expressed his concerns about the violence to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister yesterday.
He called for calm following the weekend riots during which 40 police officers were injured.
The White House says Biden also spoke to Richard Haass, the Bush-era US envoy to Northern Ireland who is overseeing a new round of talks to tackle difficult and divisive issues 15 years after the 1998 peace agreement.The White House says the US supports Haass’ efforts and that Biden is staying in close touch with him.
The Parades Commission and Martin McGuinness have held up Derry has an example that Belfast should follow.
“In Derry/Londonderry, the flagship Orange Order parade, which was part of the UK City of Culture celebrations passed off peacefully and with a relatively normal trading day throughout the city,” the Commission said in a statement. “This occurred because of good local leadership and a sustained and genuine dialogue that built up relationships and trust.
“In Belfast a similar example of leadership and dialogue is needed.”
Community leaders in the city have been criticised in recent days for inciting anger and violence. However, this was denied by the Orange Order which said it was “consistent and unambiguous in their appeals that violence had no place at the planned protests”.
-Additional reporting by the Associated Press
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Vermin. All of them, and lots of them old enough to know better.
Orange vermin :-)
I’m sure the queen is very proud of these ‘loyalists’.
Wouldn’t it send a really strong message if the queen herself came out and publicly denounced this nonsensical violence? They’d look like rite nutters if they were to keep on rioting after having the queen tell them to stop.
Silly relics. ..living in a hateful past and never moving forward to the whole Islands detriment
Note to Orange Order citizens in the uk couldn’t give a toss about yer loyalty to the crown. Heathens.
A drop of rain would sort this out !!!
a cluster bomb would sort them out once and for all ,
caveman
Come on now Sean, that’s harsh, don’t be slagging cavemen.
Calling for calm is a Waste of time. Call it as it is and outlaw the sectarian orange order and lift anyone rioting and blocking roads
“Loyalists” as a Lodge master told me in 73 & has been confirmed by others are not LOYAL to the crown or british Goverment. Their loyalty is to the act of Union.
Most Brits don’t want the 6 counties same as most people here in the Republic.
Lets be honest these lads need jobs if they had work in the morning they wouldn be out all night the soical unrest in every part off the world when young men have no jobs speaks for its self the loailty for a pound or euro usually out does the loality for flags maybe im wrong but would be a good start
Religion sucks. Cant help what religion you are born into yet it causes all the needless trouble in the world.
One man one God. Or Sun or whatever its supposed to be
Only for the sectarian nature of the colonisation of the six counties it would be part of a united Ireland. What we are seeing is British colonisation in action. This is plan A
if they orange order were billed for the damaged caused every year theyd soon stop acting like thugs.
More importantly I had to take the long way home last night! Do these Loyalists not have a heart?
Hooligans – a shameful bunch of louts. I feel for the PSNI, they are there to curb violence and their lives are in danger. I think it’s time to turn off the water hose and be more forceful with their defence mechanism.
Is it just the loyalists?
Yes
Its nationalists too
Their actually doesn’t appear to be much reaction or violence so far from the nationalists in Belfast it appears to be loyalist violence as a reaction to a fair and democratically agreed parades commission.
Republicans fired a nail bomb at Protestants yesterday evening in Belfast from a place called Brompton park. Theres been attacks from nationalist Short Strand towards the Protestant areas of Pitt Street and Cluan place, there was attacks on a parade on Friday from nationalists in York Street and nationalists were skirmishing with loyalists last night near Corcrain in Portadown.
Most violence so far is from us and its directed towards the police but you’d be naive to think that some nationalist elements are just sitting there being good little citizens.
Heres the link to that nail bomb incident incase people dont believe me -
Its also interesting that this site hasnt been reporting the nationalist violence, good job im here, I bring a bit of impartiality to the thing.
R
James/David…”good job I’m …. aren’t we so fortunate to have a loan sectarian bigot spreading his fascist vomit! The children of the Holy Cross nationalist school are fortunate to be on their summer holidays. James/David and his Loyalist mob have targeted the children of the Holy Cross nationalist school in the past, least we forget!
Do you just make an accusation against me personally there Bobby, do you want to take that information to a higher authority, i’ll gladly see you in court!!!
Say the word
Disappointing that Unionists and in particular the Orange Order are not named and shamed in this article as the cause of this criminal behaviour and sectarianism that has been witnessed over the last number of nights, neither is there any mention of the fact that the people of North Belfast have been the victims of this bigotry. The parades commission ruling has been consistently breeched. The so called leaders of unionism have a lot of questions that need to be answered. The simple solution here is No Talk No Walk, these triumphant out dated sectarian marches are not wanted in nationalist communities and unless unionists sit down and talk to nationalists about the routes of marches they simply should not be allowed happen.
Don’t know why comment didn’t come up try again.
Loyalists are not loyal to the Crown or british Goverment their loyalty is to the Act off Union. Told this in 73 by a lodge master since confirmed by others.
For most of the UK NI is not wanted neither is it down here in the Republic which is a pity for the greater majority of people living there who are decent.
Loyalist bully boy tactics again similar to when they didn’t get their way about the fleg. Parades commission shouldn’t give in next year because of this years violence.
The PC have already give in to violence.
What I hear alot from James and other loyalist’s is if only the taigs stayed in their homes all day on the 12th there would be no problems.Let us decorate every lamp post in the area put up orange arches into every town,burn bone fires with anything the repersents Irish culture,play our bigoted songs outside their homes,schools and chapel’s because this is our wee country this is our “culture”.Well guess what your bigoted form of culture is over.The world is watching,thanks to social media and there will be a very interesting documentary on its way to show the world what your glourious 12th is all about.
A documentary??
Noooooooooooooooooooooo please dont
The Orange Order are showing their true colors now, they were always a law unto themselves, disregarding the wishes of the majority of people in the North who have taken the peaceful road.
James …do you condone the violence of the past 4 nights ?
I dont condone violence at all, that includes the nationalist violence over the last few nights too and the nationalist violence on Crumlin road over the last 3 or 4 years and the ongoing dissident republican campaign which has claimed 5 members of our security forces since 2009.
I bet Elizabeth Windsor is delighted with the displays of loyalty :)
Morons are so dam stupid they probably don’t even see the irony of their actions!!!!!
If they had of just let them walk.
James your supremacist days are over and the nationalists communities fought long and hard to end the siege and triumphalism they endured for decades, it’s over! Go back to your cage and sell your drugs to your communities.
This is minor in comparison to what would have happened had they been allowed to parade through a nationalist area. Trust me, I have seen it first hand!
why is an american vice president sticking his oar in. are we next on their invasion list for our own good? he spoke to the first minister! why didnt the first minister tell him to mind his own business. the american administration need to be told that while it may be ok for them to bully their way around the rest of the globe, it is totally unacceptable in any part of europe. they are not our police. we have our own!
We need now more than ever to saw off Northern Ireland and let it float off from the Republic of Ireland and Britain..let both sides eat each other up in the depths of the arctic away from civilised society….
James wilson ……if only they would go and walk in areas where they are welcome , then you bigots could celebrate your dutchness in a peaceful manner , with not a hint of violence anywhere
The parade should never have been banned to start with, it does NOT enter any nationalist area. Crumlin road is mainly Unionist.
Here here
they should all be banned ,
and the whole orange order disbanded on the grounds of inciting violence.
Would one of the experts here like to tell me what nationalist area this parade enters?
Ardoyne, according to all the news reports
James Wilson, how can u defend the orange order? This is a group of grown men who stopped their parade outside a Catholic Church and began chanting/singing sectarian songs?
That’s playground stuff
I was always a big supporter of a country that consisted of the entire island of Ireland but bad n all as things are in the south, society is about 50 years behind in the north.
Such a pity
@James, do you recognise support the existence of the parades commission? With it’s sole purpose is to avoid these types of contentious clashes.
Thomas Crumlin road isnt in Ardoyne, its a main arterial route through Belfast that passes by the fringe of the Ardoyne district. The parade does not enter Ardoyne, it never has.
I want the parades commission scrapped and feel that it wont be long until it is scrapped. They have blocked a parade through a Unionist area on this occassion, no logic in that.
Even if they were stopped going down the Shankill Road there’s no need to mark time outside the Caholic Church shouting sectarian abuse and siging sectarian songs then rioting with the emergency services, putting 50 of them in hospital. They were bricking fire fighters and medics too. There are ways of protesting like civilized people and not like a pack of f**king baboons. i’m not a Unionist but if was I’d be ashamed and embarrassed by this crowd.
Have these people no pride in their areas or city that they feel the need to wreck and destroy it.
“Don’t sh*t on your doorstep comes to mind”
In fairness britain and ireland are responsible for creating the cauldron that is now northern ireland. Turning blind eyes and washing hands of it is and will continue to happen until this mess is sorted out. Surely in 1921 when NI was created someone should have forseen this mess!
So how do you propose to curtail the violence from both sides? The PSNI have a tough enough time as it is.
Basically you want the freedom to continue marching where you like, despite the risk of serious violence and antagonising behaviour. So essentially you want to have your cake and eat it?
Not engaging with the Parades commission is hardly a good sign that people wish to move on from the troubles of the past. So you’re wishing to remain in the past.
The parades commission is a joke and will cease to exist very soon. This violence is being waged over a march that was banned from going through a predominately unionist area. The nationalist community have no right to lay claim to what is a main road in Belfast, they dont live on it.
And I dont want to march anywhere, I want common sense to prevail and the PC to explain to the country why they banned a parade on Unionist Crumlin road. You speak of violence ensuing if parades are not banned, well this parade was banned and violence still ensued and on a greater scale.
This whole sides thing is unreal. It should be forgotten, from both sides. We’re going to have to wait for many a generation to die out to get rid of this hatred between what are essentially the same group of people. Northern Ireland really need to embrace being Northern Ireland, forget Religion, forget past violence and forget trying to identify themselves with separate communities.
So basically, what you’re still saying is, you want to do as you’ve always done, even with undeniable proof that it leads to tension and violence. When not allowed, you riot. Presumably the Nationalists will continue to be angry, and if allowed through their area, they’ll riot. So the whole 1998 Peace Agreement has gotten us this far down the track, and attitudes are still the same.
Do you condone the rioting for your right to march down a road? Also, did you support the riots over the flying of a flag? Do you see how to an outsider, i.e. the US Vice President, this might seem ridiculous? I can see the ridiculousness and futility of it all. Can you?
Firstly, fcuk the US administrations past and present, they are responsible for murder and pillage on a scale never seen before throughout the world so they arent very reliable people to point the finger at us.
Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, this parade was through a predominately Unionist area. You keep saying about the parade going “THROUGH” the nationalist area, what area does it go through? I dont agree with the rioters on any side, I condemn them wholeheartedly. They have only damaged their own position and caused a lot of physical damage in the process so i’ve no support for that at all. I also condemn the root cause of this trouble and that lays firmly at the feet of the discredited parades commission.
Lastly, you might not support Unionist culture or even want a Unionist to reside on this island but we are going nowhere. The trouble up here is a two way thing, in fact the only side now waging an armed campaign for political gain is the republicans, they have murdered countless people since the 1998 agreement, since the upping of their campaign in 2009 they have murdered 5 members of our security forces, attempted to murder plenty more and detonated scores of bombs yet not a peep about any of that on here or any of their recent activities. Everybody is just waiting for our side to mess up so they can give it excessive coverage and condemnation, all the while glossing over the actions of the other side. A republican nail bomb attack yesterday which states clearly in the link I provided that it narrowly missed a seven year old child, did the Journal report it? Did the fcuk.
To be honest James, I have to agree with your comment on the US. I found it very rich Bill clinton preaching peace in Ireland while he was bombing Yugoslavia back into the stone age
“Firstly, fcuk the US administrations past and present, they are responsible for murder and pillage on a scale never seen before throughout the world so they arent very reliable people to point the finger at us”
totally agree with you there James , well put
Ha, ha ,ha ha, ha, O Jesus James/David you and the other two idiots never cease to amaze me, the US are responsible for murder and pillage? You and the thugs in bowler hats waving Union Jacks are loyal to a Monarchy who’s troops are in foreign lands supporting the US, “murder and pillage,” Ha ha ha ha
Bobby I put a question to you there above, would you care to answer me because i’m strongly considering taking your allegation to the police.
James/David. Typical loyalist reaction hide behind the other loyalist wearing a police uniform! :)
A typical reaction to a false allegation made by you claiming I “targeted the children of Holy Cross school”. If you think im taking an allegation like this laying down then you dont know me at all mate. Now i’d advise you to explain the allegation in more detail or retract what you said.
Well David, there was a loyalist th.g by the name of David that took part in the sectarian attack on innocent children at the Holy Cross children’s nationalist school, was that you?
Also can you prove that David is your real name or just some idi.t going under numerous different names, I need these answers before I can answer your retar.ed question?
….oops my apology David I meant to write James, I am getting so confused with all the fake identifications being used. :(
You made the accusation towards ME!!! Theres no David here even.
James, you keep saying predominantly, so there are Nationalists who live there also? Yeah? That’s what I meant. It’s about respect, and there is a distinct lack of it from both sides. So it’s partly a nationalist area. No one has, or should have a right over it entirely.
Bad blood breeds bad blood. Until there can be some mediation this is going to happen every year. You know rightly how both sides feel, especially the minority, who cannot be ignored either. No one said you had to go anywhere, trust me, that’s how my family landed on this island.
RE: the US, I’m not a fan of any warmongering nation, of which the UK, and Ireland, are also guilty.
Basically, humans are w@nkers. We’ll never get on, and we’ll look for any excuse to fight. Great.
Lol I hate the fact that as a catholic I have to go and play a soccer game against woodvale, it will be as fun as ever this year…
have your say