Loyalist paramilitaries call for end to violence

Loyalist paramilitaries today called for an end to the violence sweeping through parts of the North.

The Ulster Defence Association in north Belfast, one of the worst affected areas, said the rioting, which has left more than 60 police officers injured and damage running into millions, must cease.

A statement said: “We are instructing our own membership to avoid any confrontation on the streets and steer away from any acts of violence.”

The call for an end to the violence which has run on three consecutive nights since a disputed Orange Order parade in west Belfast was controversially re-routed on Saturday, came as police revealed 63 arrests had been made.

Today’s UDA statement is highly significant, coming amid demands by police chiefs, government ministers and nationalist politicians for better unionist leadership.

Other UDA members and the Ulster Volunteer Force will be under pressure to follow suit and pull back.

The organisation called on politicians to use their influence to help restore order.

The statement, issued through its political advisers, insisted they should be calm – no matter what the provocation.

It added: “No longer can we or will we let these types of situations destroy our own communities as it seems the community is the only sufferer in this conflict.”