Loyalist violence erupted again today outside a Catholic primary school in a flashpoint area of north Belfast, injuring an RUC officer.
Security forces mounted a huge operation this morning to escort terrified Catholic children and their parents to Holy Cross Primary School in the Ardoyne area.
They faced a tirade of verbal abuse as they proceeded to the school gates and again as the left the premises this evening. However, this evening was reported to be quieter than this morning.
It was the second day of clashes between about 200 loyalist protesters and members of the RUC and British army. The new clashes followed a night of rioting in several parts of north Belfast.
This morning, dozens of RUC and British army Land Rovers were lined up along both sides of the Ardoyne Road and used as a protective corridor as up to 45 girls, all aged under 11, and their parents walked the 300 yards to Holy Cross Primary School. None of the children or parents was hurt.
But others were too frightened because of the tension and stayed away as the violence erupted in the neighbouring Protestant Glenbryn estate.
At the height of today's trouble riot squad officers stormed into a garden in Ardoyne Road where up to 50 loyalist protesters had gathered.
Police fought with an angry mob who hurled rocks, fence poles and flowerpots. The crowd was pushed back into the rear of the house on the Ardoyne Road as the tense situation erupted into violence.
A huge blast then occurred in Glenbryn Parade, and police moved in to drive back about 150 loyalists who had gathered there back down the road.
One RUC police officer was injured in the explosion, which appeared to have been a blast bomb. He was rushed to hospital with a broken collar bone.
Later, teachers and parents expressed relief that the children had made it to school safely.
Holy Cross principal Mr Anne Tanney said: "It was obviously much better today, the children arrived into school smiling and prepared to go in to class without parents.
"But it's certainly not a normal situation and we don't want that again. Adults don't realise what they're doing to the children - people should treat them with care because they are so precious".
PA