Members of the First Parachute Regiment, the regiment responsible for Bloody Sunday in 1972, were last night facing loyalists across the defences at Drumcree.
A platoon, wearing their distinctive red berets, moved up to the front line in the late afternoon and began repairing the coils of razor wire damaged in the previous night's rioting.
The regiment appeared to be replacing troops from Scottish regiments who provided reinforcements for the RUC on Thursday night. No reason was given for the replacement of the Scottish troops although the Orangemen had spent much of Thursday evening playing Scottish pipe music including the Flower of Scotland over megaphones.
At tea-time yesterday a small group of loyalists gathered on the Drumcree side of the defences. One man shouted: "Go home, you Fenian bastards. You won't be laughing when we land a blast bomb in on you."
Another man pointed to a Union Jack and shouted: "You fought for that flag in the Falklands. You'll fight and die here."
The three Scottish regiments were replaced by the First Parachute Regiment and the Royal Regiment of Wales.
