Loyalists staged a peaceful demonstration on the Crumlin Road after Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid gave the Ulster Defence Association one last chance to stop its violence or have its ceasefire declared over.
In the same protest which preceded the loyalist violence of the previous four nights, the protesters, mainly women and children, last night dispersed peacefully after an hour.
Dr Reid and the RUC were watching events closely to see whether the UDA stood by its commitment to call a halt to the rioting.
He had been preparing to make the declaration yesterday afternoon but changed his mind at the last minute after being given assurances by the loyalist leadership that the trouble would stop.
While he was "deeply sceptical" of any words emanating from the UDA, he said: "Even at this eleventh hour I am prepared to put the UDA to the test."
There would be no more chances, he said.
He warned: ``If there is a continuation of pipe bomb attacks and attacks on the security forces, the UDA will be specified. They will be tested every day.
Dr Reid said he had decided yesterday to specify the UDA and had only changed his mind less than 90 minutes before the time he had chosen to make the announcement.
Declaring the UDA ceasefire over would not mean the immediate return to prison of all its members given early release under the Belfast Agreement.
PA