Violent riots in Belfast
2002-01-21 10:24
Belfast - Rioters threw petrol and blast bombs at police officers in north Belfast on Sunday, police said.
A hijacked car was set on fire and barricades erected as fresh violence erupted in the flashpoint Shore Road area of the Northern Irish capital, a district where Protestants and Roman Catholics live close to each other.
"Police came under attack from a crowd... A number of petrol bombs and a blast bomb were thrown. There were no reports of any injuries," a police spokesperson said.
Fire crews called to the scene were withdrawn after coming under attack.
The rioting followed disturbances earlier on Sunday.
In one incident, a Protestant pensioner's home in the district was badly damaged in a petrol bomb attack. The man was not at home at the time.
Petrol bombs were also lobbed by opposing sides on the border between a Protestant and a Catholic area.
Despite 1998's landmark Good Friday peace deal, aimed at drawing a line under three decades of conflict between pro-British Protestants and pro-Irish Catholics in the province, north Belfast has continued to witness outbreaks of violence.
An upsurge in activity by Protestant hardliners culminated in the shooting dead of a 20-year-old Catholic postal worker in the area last weekend.