40 police injured as violence flares at Orange march

More than 40 police officers were injured tonight as rioting erupted in north Belfast after a contentious Orange parade passed through a Catholic area.

Two journalists were also hurt when missiles and suspected pipe bombs exploded in the flashpoint Ardoyne district.

The security forces had attempted to hold back nationalist protesters as hundreds of Orangemen marched along the Crumlin Road for the second time today, after attending a mass rally in the city centre.

But even though senior republicans urged nationalist youths not to attack police and soldiers, bricks rained down from rooftops.

The PSNI confirmed one police officer was seriously injured in the trouble and more than 40 were injured.

A car was also set on fire close to police lines where a massive security operation had been put in place for the most controversial of all the Twelfth of July demonstrations taking place across Northern Ireland.

As tensions heightened a water cannon was used to douse large crowds of nationalists and restore order.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, who was at the scene along with senior party colleagues in an attempt to keep the situation calm, was among dozens doused by the jets.

But the trouble escalated even before the Orangemen had made their return from the city centre up along the contentious route past Ardoyne’s shopfronts.

A number of explosions occurred as devices were hurled from the crowd that had gathered.

One hit a BBC journalist who was carried away by police officers.

He was taken to the Mater Hospital where he was treated for flesh wounds to the back.

The PSNI confirmed another member of the media was hurt as the trouble flared.

At least one policeman was seen wounded and had to be taken away by his colleagues.

Mr Adams and his senior party colleague Gerry Kelly held talks with police commanders in the area amid attempts to stop any further serious disorder.

The Sinn Féin chief insisted that in spite of the attacks and blast bombs the situation could have been much worse.

Mr Adams said: “The fact is that the vast majority of people have demonstrated peacefully and in a calm manner.”

The West Belfast MP also blamed the strategy adopted by police for what followed.

“When the police moved in what I think was quite a reckless manner, they took management completely away from the stewards,” he said.

“They brought the water cannon in too quickly, we should have been allowed to keep order.

“In a situation where people on the front line like myself, Gerry Kelly, different MLAs and Fr (Aidan) Troy were completely soaked on six or seven different occasions.”

“What we are trying to do now is negotiate calm back into the situation but it’s a bit difficult to get stewards to move here because they get soaked.

“There are only a few dozen young people engaged in stone-throwing and we are trying to get control of that situation which is quite difficult.”

SDLP West Belfast MLA Alex Attwood condemned those responsible for the rioting.

Mr Attwood said: “The scenes are an utter disgrace. It is in complete contrast of the conduct of so many during the day including the police, the protesters and so many others.

“The throwing the blast bombs and the injuries sustained by a journalist reflects the viciousness of the rioters.

“Having stood on police lines all night I can say the police behaviour has been characterised by restraint and compliance with minimum force required.

“The rioters represent no one but a minority. Those responsible have a great deal to account for.”

At the height of tonight’s trouble nationalist youths with scarves over their faces were seen with stockpiles of petrol or paint bombs.

This morning police in riot gear moved in to clear a sit-down republican protest in the Ardoyne area.

Around 60 demonstrators, some of whom chained themselves to a set of traffic lights, were lifted from the Crumlin Road.

Mr Adams and Mr Kelly called for calm as police moved in on the protesters shortly after 8am.

The demonstrators, who wore white T-shirts with the slogan: “Equality and Respect for Ardoyne Residents”, were removed from the road after a 30-minute operation before the Orange march passed peacefully.

Last year loyalists and nationalists pelted each other with missiles in Ardoyne as the Orangemen passed through the area after the day’s festivities in the city centre.

In Derry a female police officer suffered minor facial injuries after petrol bombs were thrown at officers.

The trouble flared at Butcher Street and St Joseph’s Place areas of the city after the main Orange parade had finished.

A PSNI spokeswoman said several arrests were made following the “minor disturbance”.

The officer was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital for a check-up.

Today’s Orange parade was the first on the city’s nationalist Westbank for 13 years.

It followed an agreement between business leaders in the city and senior members of the order.

Meanwhile, in Co Antrim, riot police moved into a village today as a stand-off developed between Orangemen and nationalist protesters.

Cars used to block a route through Dunloy, where marchers involved in the huge Twelfth of July demonstrations were due to pass through had to be cleared away.

But residents in the mainly Catholic village responded by parking an articulated lorry across the entrance in a bid to disrupt any procession.

Even though the Parades Commission had limited the Orangemen to only walking directly outside their hall, nationalists suspected they would attempt to flout the rules and stage an illegal procession.

Negotiations were launched in a bid to broker a compromise to the stand-off.

Police said Orangemen had complied with the Parades Commission ruling.

The stand-off later ended after Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness arrived to help broker a resolution.

Around 30 nationalists who had staged a sit-down protest were removed from the road by police and Orangemen made their way to the church for the delayed wreath-laying ceremony.