Hundreds of loyalists and nationalists have clashed violently this evening as Orangemen marched close to the Ardoyne district in north Belfast.
Nelson McCausland, DUP
Stones, bottles and golf balls were hurled as several hundred on either side were kept apart by a massive security operation in the Ardoyne district as members of the Ballysillan Orange passed by after attending Northern Ireland's largest demonstration in south Belfast.
A water cannon was deployed by police after number of police landrovers were hemmed in by the crowd. These had to be rescued by vehicles from the security forces. There are no reports of injuries.
A UDA gunamn fires a volley of shots in air in a
Rival factions were also involved in a developing stand-off along neighbouring backstreets as police and soldiers attempted to stop the controversial parade plunging into all out violence.
Youths attacked riot squad troops amid heightening tensions over the hotly disputed decision to impose restrictions on the Orange order returning from the
annual city centre Twelfth demonstration through the staunchly Catholic area.
At one stage a crowd of nationalists seized control of army batons and shields and attacked a small pocket of soldiers who were hemmed in around their Land
Rover.
The parade from Ballysillan and Ligoniel passed the Ardoyne shops this morning without incident on its way to meet the main Belfast parade. A group of about 150 nationalists protested, but both sides were kept apart by security.
Tight security was in place this morning following the Northern Ireland Parades Commission's decision to restrict the feeder parade at Ligoniel.
The Parades Commission had told the lodges they cannot be accompanied by bands, or by its supporters, as it made its return parade this evening past the flashpoint shops in the nationalist Ardoyne area.
Sinn Féin North Belfast MLA Mr Gerry Kelly called for calm as nationalist youths attacked security forces.
He said: “The Parades Commission is now defunct because when it makes adecision the PSNI does whatever it wants to do anyway. They are cock-a-hoop because they are still in charge.”
The North Belfast MLA insisted nationalists had been baton-charged, making itdifficult to prevent any retaliation. He added: “People are not just physically hurt, they are mentally hurt. This is another slap in the teeth for nationalists.”
Earlier the Northern Secretary Mr Paul Murphy called for "peaceful and dignified" celebrations.
An estimated 100,000 Orangemen took to the streets of in 19 venues across Northern Ireland to mark the Twelfth of July celebrations to commemorate William of Orange's 1690 Battle of the Boyne victory over Catholic King James II.
DUP North Belfast MLA Mr Nelson McCausland, a member of the Orange Order, said: "The lodges and the bands and spectators behaved extremely well this morning and there was no difficulty at all.
Recent years witnessed trouble at the Ardoyne shops as the Orangemen, the bands and their supporters returned home. The decision has infuriated the Orange Order which may, as part of its protest, block roads in the city today.
Those concerns were heightened by reports that dissident republicans and the INLA might seek to spark trouble at Ardoyne tonight.
Members of the Continuity IRA posed for photographs in yesterday's Sunday World stating that they would "defend" Catholics during Twelfth of July parades, while the UDA told Belfast's Sunday Life it was on "standby" in case troubles flares in Ardoyne this evening.