Loyalists riot in Belfast city centre

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday July 30, 2002 02:58 by McMean

Stolen cars and business premises were set alight by a crowd of loyalists who attacked RUC/PSNI police and emergency services for two nights running in central Belfast.

In the early hours of Sunday morning night, a loyalist mob went
on the rampage in nearby Bradbury Place, an area filled with bars
and night clubs.

Trouble flared at around 2am on Belfast's 'Golden Mile'. The
clashes spread into nearby loyalist Sandy Row and the Donegall
Road and lasted until 3.30am.

Three cars were stolen during the disturbances -- two were set
alight at the junction of Sandy Row and Albion Street, while
flames from the third on Donegall Road spread to an adjoining
building, causing considerable damage.

The Fire Service was forced to withdraw from the scene for a time
when the crowd began throwing stones and bottles.

Fire officer David Patten said his colleagues had been confronted
with a "bad situation".

"There is an awful mess around there now. The shopkeepers have a
lot of work to do.

"They appeared to be trying to break into shops and smash windows
and just cause mayhem down there," he added.

Last night, blast bombs and other missiles were hurled by a mob
of around 75 people from the loyalist Sandy Row in the city
centre.

A car and a minibus were set ablaze during the violence. There
were also reports of shots having been fired. Two people were
arrested and plastic bullets were fired during the disturbances
which also involved the British Army.

The rioting and attacks on emergency workers, which follows an
assault by loyalists on paramedics earlier this month, appeared
to have been unprovoked though possibly fuelled by alcohol
consumption.

LOYALISTS SPY ON NATIONALISTS

Meanwhile, nationalists living in the Short Strand east Belfast
enclave say they fear a closed circuit television camera in a
neighbouring loyalist estate could be used by paramilitaries to
target them.

The camera was erected over the weekend on the chimney of a house
in the loyalist Cluan Place and is pointed towards the
nationalist Clandeboye Drive.

A floodlight has also been erected and is attached to the chimney
of a neighbouring house.

The two enclaves are separated by a peace wall which was been
heightened in recent months following widespread violence.

Dozens of nationalist homes have also come under a barrage of
attack from missiles and pipe bombs. Nearly every window in the
enclave is boarded up and hoses are on constant standby to put
out fires.

One nationalist resident said yesterday that he saw the camera
being erected at the weekend and insisted that it could be used
to target Catholics.

"Bricks, bottles, fireworks and pipe bombs are constantly coming
over that wall and have hit a number of people," he said.

"The pictures from that camera could be used to identify where
people are standing and to track people entering and leaving the
estate."