Tutu offers to help resolve Holy Cross school row

The scenes of loyalist protest at a north Belfast Catholic school have appalled the world, South African peace campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu declared today.

The Nobel Peace laureate offered to try to help resolve the long running dispute during a visit to the city.

As he did so, a war of words between the two sides erupted after another day of angry scenes as Catholic parents took their children to Holy Cross Primary School in Ardoyne, again running the gauntlet of loyalist demonstrators under police guard.

Loyalist protesters accused nationalists of failing to respond to a scaling down of the protest which began yesterday.

Father Aiden Troy, chairman of the school governors at Holy Cross, complained to police that Catholic parents had been pushed off the pavement outside the school by police.

At a Belfast news conference ahead of delivering a lecture on Human Rights Archbishop Tutu said he was ready to offer help, if asked, to try to resolve the long-running inter-community dispute.

He said he was "very deeply distressed, especially for the children".

"The pupils should not be used as pawns and hostages," he said.

The Archbishop added: "I would hope that both sides might be able to find a way of resolving a very,very distressing situation.

"People around the world are appalled as they see the images on television. How can people have got themselves to such a stage? We are trying to see whether there is anything one can do to promote reconciliation and a resolution of a very distressing situation."

But the "distressing situation" continued with both sides on the offensive - albeit verbally rather than violently.

A spokesman for the loyalist Concerned Residents of Upper Ardoyne expressed "despair and disbelief" at nationalists negative reaction to a scaling down of the protest.