Loyalist group offers proposals to end street violence

An attempt was made tonight to broker a deal to end the sectarian violence plaguing north Belfast.

A loyalist group calling itself the Concerned Residents of Upper Ardoyne issued a set of proposals to nationalists aimed at bringing the bitter dispute to an end.

A public meeting unanimously backed an end to the street protests that have led to Protestant families leaving their homes and Catholic children belonging to Holy Cross Primary School being prevented from going to school through the loyalist Glenbryn area.

A tense standoff between rival factions has erupted into nightly rioting with around 60 police officers injured.

In a statement, the group called on Catholic parents to agree to continue to use the longer Crumlin Road entrance to and from Holy Cross school for the remaining five days of the term.

It also urged public statements from both communities calling for an immediate end to all protests and the setting up of a community forum to reaching a resolution before the start of the new school year.

This forum would include agreed representatives of both communities and would have no input from politicians in the area.

The proposals have been sent to a nationalist representative for consideration.

He has agreed to consult with his community and reply to the offer as soon as possible.

The statement added: ‘‘We would appeal to the nationalist community to accept this opportunity to bring the current problems to an immediate end and to create the space required to reach a workable resolution.’’

But as the statement was released there were reports of more violence in the area.

A police spokesman revealed that a loyalist gunmen had emerged from a crowd and fired around six shots into the air in the Hopewell Crescent area of the lower Shankill, a stronghold of the Ulster Defence Association.

Police also came under fresh attack from stone throwing youths in north Belfast.

Rival crowds, several hundred strong took to the streets in what security chiefs feared heralded a repeat of last night’s violence.

An RUC spokesman commented bleakly: ‘‘It’s starting to hot up’’.

Police issued a warning to motorists to keep away from the Crumlin and Ardoyne Roads.

Earlier, RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan accused rioters of attempting to murder his officers.

Some of the trouble he claimed was being orchestrated by loyalist paramilitaries.

Gunmen on both sides of the bitter conflict have opened fire and police have also been attacked with petrol and acid bombs in some of the worst violence in Northern Ireland this year.

Sir Ronnie declared: ‘‘My officers are being targeted for murder.’’