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MASKED MEN PAINT-BOMBED homes during intense rioting in east Belfast last night, causing damage to homes and injuring residents of the Short Strand area.
According to today’s The Irish News, at least five people were believed to have been injured in the sectarian violence, during which men dressed in black wielding baseball bats were believed to have entered a residential area.
Witnesses described the men and said they walked down Castlereagh Street, on the loyalist side of the area, into Short Strand.
After homes were attacked with paint, fireworks and bricks, a riot broke out which spilled into the Bryson Street area.
One woman told The Irish News that the violence was “definitely orchestrated”.
Petrol bombs were thrown during the incident.
BBC News reports that Lord Mayor of Belfast Niall O Donnghaile, who is also a Sinn Fein councillor for the area, “claims it was an orchestrated attack by loyalists”.
He told the station he witnessed “one young man being taken away in an ambulance with a serious head injury as a result of some of the missiles that were coming over”.
Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist MLA Michael Copeland said that there was “hand-to-hand” fighting involving “several hundred people”.
He said that he understood the violence came after homes on the Newtownards Road were attacked from Strand Walk and the grounds of St Matthew’s church in previous nights.
He said that the main aim was to get the violence stopped.
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I wish these articles would spit it out as regards the motivation of these incidents. Is it loyalists attacking a nationalist area? Is it loyalists attacking a loyalist area in an internal feud?
Is it nationalists attacking a loyalist area ? Or nationalist attacking nationalists in an internal feud? Or is just a group of young men going on a rampage after finishing their exams .
Willie, its just a random bunch of scumbags doing what they do, matters not what “side” they are from or what the “reason” was, the one thing you can be sure of is that they are all as bad as each other
Looks like having a Sinn Fein mayor from the short strand has sent loyalists over the edge of reason- plus with a Irish catholic winning the u.s open- this has made Jealous loyalists angry-
The real people lies in that there are too many people with shit attitudes like your own living in the north.
Aye christopher- next you are going to tell us thats its our own fault that the loyalists attacked-
@ Victoria – you can keep your 26 counties, your overpriced food and your corrupt thieving politicians and here’s a tip, you might want to take a leaf out of Greece’s book and not be so quick to roll over and play dead. Up here in the North there is a vibrant community mixing catholics, protestants and different nationalities that can share culture and have the craic. A few hundred people attacking homes is not representative of the 1.5 million that live up here but then who wants to cover the “good news”. As for the Rory McIIroy Poll, Worst Poll Ever, who cares what his perceived nationality is, he’s one of our own regardless and we’re all proud of him.
@Sharon, excellent “righteous indignation” :)
Good for you, Sharon.
Can we also keep our relatively small social welfare bill compared to yours? Our lack of sectarianism? And there is no difference in corruption between our two political systems, you just haven’t found it yet
So much for the ‘normality’ myth that is put out by the Stormont political establishment. The six-county state is an abnormal and sectarian statelet. The 1998 Stormont Agreement institutionalised sectarianism and we see the results playing out on the ground. There is an alternative which is non-sectarian and can deliver real All-Ireland democracy; Eire Nua.
Why the hell would people in Ireland want the north when the likes of this is a regular occourance? We couldn’t afford pay for it. No, the only thing that can stop the likes of this is you people teaching your children something other than sectarianism.
Is this riot related to the Journals ‘Rory McIlroy – Irish/British Poll’?
Sorry for making such a blassé comment.
A good case for staying with our 26 Counties!
You will be looking rid of inner dublin and limerick next Victoria- or any other hot spot in the 26-
Ireland, Michael, Ireland.
Ireland has 32 counties- id like to see you trying to stop tyrone or derry fans get into Croke park Adrian-
Funny how it’s always those in lower income groups cause all the hassle up in the North just welfare sponges with nothing to do with themselves in my opinion! My relatives in the north are catholic and I suppose are some-what well to do.. They live in a very nice part of Belfast and go to a well known Protestant grammar school..not once have they faced any hassle from their Protestant neighbours most of whom are friends..in fact the only hassle/trouble they’ve ever experienced would be from their ‘fellow’ Catholics/ nationalists..strange world!
Sam, its never been a religious thing, its always been a socio-economic issue, the more you have the less you want to loose it / risk it the happier you are with the status quo and enjoying life.
conversely the opposite is also true, the further down the socio-economic scale you are, the less you have, the less educated you are, the fewer the opportunities you have the more you need someone / some group to focus your hatred and bitterness on.
Good man Willie.
Sorry just re-read and saw that it was loyalists .
why can’t we all get on like in middle school :-) quote from mean girls, what is with the north and Scotland as well and all this sectarian crappoliogy ! build a big wall round them and they take one another out!
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