Police last night used water cannons to break up a nationalist riot following a
controversial Orange Order parade in west Belfast.
Stones, bottles, bricks, fireworks and paint bombs were thrown at police lines by a crowd of around 300 people after Orangemen passed through the Springfield Road to the sound of whistles from a nationalist counter demonstration.
Six police officers suffered minor injuries during clashes with nationalist rioters following the Orange Order's Whiterock Parade in west Belfast, a spokesman confirmed.
A nationalist residents' group representative claimed the violence erupted when police failed to pull out of the area once the marchers had passed.
Seán Paul O'Hare, of Springfield Residents' Action Group, said: "The PSNI did not pull out even though we had asked them to do so. I think that these disturbances were an indication of just how angry people in the community are.
"They were angry at this decision to allow the march through with no route restriction and feel the Parades Commission has put the community into a corner. We went to them with positive proposals and those were rejected. The police have also not helped matters by their handling of the parade."
An independent unionist councillor, who earlier in the week urged both communities to ensure that today's march passed off peacefully, said the violence on the nationalist side was "regrettable".
Frank McCoubrey said: "I'd like to pay tribute to the people and organisers of today's Orange Order parade for ensuring that it was conducted in a peaceful and dignified manner. I am sorry that I cannot say the same about whoever organised the protests on the nationalist side."
Belfast's first Sinn Féin Mayor, Alex Maskey, said republican, loyalist, nationalist and unionist councillors should work together to end sectarian clashes in the city.
He called for "collective leadership" on the council to address the problems along the sectarian interface.
He acknowledged the tensions between loyalist and republican communities living side by side in various areas, but told a dinner in Belfast City Hall last night marking his inauguration earlier this month: "We are a multi-party council and city. We do have problems along the interface which we need to address but that can be achieved as a council, as a collective leadership."
Mr Maskey vowed to work with everyone in the community during his term of office regardless of background.
He pledged: "I intend to use my term as mayor to represent all of the people of this city and that means respecting the views of everyone. That means writing a new rule book for the mayor and I want people to do that with me.
"I will work for equality, fair play and inclusivity. I will seek to reach as much agreement as possible and where it is not possible, I will try to find peaceful coexistence."
PA