Belfast and flashpoint loyalist areas of Northern Ireland remained tense last night as the Orange Order rejected allegations by senior political and police figures that it bore a huge responsibility for weekend loyalist violence. Gerry Moriarty, Dan Keenan and Liam Reid report
Northern Secretary Peter Hain signalled yesterday that he will specify the UVF in the coming days - that is declare that it is no longer on ceasefire. While the UDA was also caught up in the trouble, police believe the violence was mainly orchestrated by the UVF.
He condemned political leaders who failed to support the police. "I would have thought all responsible political leaders, especially those who aspire to govern Northern Ireland in a devolved ministerial capacity, as I want them to do, should be on the side of law and order and on the side of the police and speaking up for the police in these circumstances. There's been a deathly silence from all the major political parties which I think speaks for itself."
Police reported sporadic outbreaks of violence in Belfast and other areas last night. New Barnsley police station in west Belfast was petrol-bombed while there was stone-throwing and two cars were hijacked and set alight on the Crumlin Road.
A bus was also hijacked on the Shankill, it was reported. There were disturbances at Roden Street and on the Westlink. Police also reported incidents in other areas of Belfast, Antrim town and other towns last night but they said the violence was not as intense as at the weekend.
So far 21 people have appeared in court arising from the loyalist violence at the weekend.
Protesters staged pickets at the major Belfast arterial roads at teatime, causing rush-hour gridlock. The traffic disruption began to ease around 7pm. As darkness fell the PSNI and British army were on standby to deal with any further outbreaks of violence.
At least 50 PSNI officers, scores of rioters and many more innocent people caught up in the trouble or attacked by loyalists were injured in the two days and nights of violence that convulsed Belfast and other Northern towns over Saturday and Sunday.
One police officer, who sustained serious eye injuries in a loyalist blast bomb attack, was in a critical condition in hospital. A senior UDA man was treated for serious injuries after a blast bomb attack.
Despite coming under strong criticism from PSNI chief constable Sir Hugh Orde, Mr Hain, the Parades Commission, Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Alliance Party and others, the Orange Order refused to accept any culpability for the violence.
The order refused to make any official comment but Mr Dawson Bailie, district master of the Order in Belfast, told the BBC, "As far as I'm concerned the people to blame for that are the secretary of state, the chief constable and the Parades Commission, fairly and squarely." He added: "I'm not condemning anything at this moment in time."
DUP leader Ian Paisley said he tried to thwart the violence. He denied that his comments last week warning that the re-routed Whiterock parade on Saturday could "spark" trouble created the potential for violence.
UUP leader Sir Reg Empey condemned the violence and said there must be acknowledgment of deep-seated alienation within the loyalist community.
In Dublin, President Bush's special Irish peace envoy, Mr Mitchell Reiss, called on unionist politicians to reassert themselves in their communities. He said "no political party and no responsible leadership deserves to serve in government unless it wholly and unconditionally supports the police and calls on its constituents to do the same".
He was speaking after a 45-minute meeting with the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. Both men called for IRA decommissioning to be carried out as soon as possible.
The Taoiseach said the IRA's July statement needed to be "borne out by actions" and he believed this could provide an opportunity to inject renewed momentum into the process.
Mr Reiss said he hoped IRA decommissioning would be carried out sooner rather than later.
He said it was the quality of the decommissioning that took place, as opposed to the amount of material involved, that was of most importance. "I can be patient if we're going to get the type of decommissioning we all want to see. I'm confident that it's coming some time soon."