Clinton appeals to loyalists for end to street violence

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has urged protesting loyalists to end street violence in the North amid fears of further trouble at demonstrations against a decision to restrict the flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall.

A death threat against the east Belfast MP Naomi Long marked a serious escalation in tensions after arson attacks on offices used by her non-sectarian Alliance Party.

Even though Unionist Party leaders, including the the North’s First Minister Peter Robinson, called for a suspension of planned protests until the new year, security chiefs are gearing up for sporadic outbreaks of fresh violence, especially in the greater Belfast area.