Sectarian clashes hit Belfast for second night

Less than 24 hours after two men were left with gunshot wounds following sectarian violence, fresh conflict breaks out Fresh skirmishes have erupted in east Belfast less than 24 hours after two men were left with gunshot wounds following sectarian violence that police believe was orchestrated by loyalist paramilitaries. Police brought in water cannon and used baton rounds after missiles hit their lines and bricks and bottles were thrown between nationalists and unionists. Several hundred people gathered near interfaces close to the Newtownards Road, and masked youths pelted each other with stones and fireworks. Police say 11 shots were fired during the riot on Monday, six by nationalists and five by loyalists. Two shots fired at police vehicles were being treated as attempted murder. Petrol and smoke bombs, fireworks, bricks and stones were thrown by an estimated 500 men in masks and crash helmets as violence broke out at about 9pm on Monday in the Lower Newtownards Road and Short Strand area of the city, a mainly nationalist area. For four hours, missiles were hurled at homes on both sides of the sectarian divide along the main routes into Belfast’s city centre. The shooting happened just before 1am. Two Protestant men, both shot in a leg, were taken to hospital. One officer suffered a serious eye injury when rioters targeted police with lasers . The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed that officers had fired a number of stun grenade rounds and said the service was investigating a report of an attempted hijacking of a bus. Police said the violence had been planned by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said: “There certainly were people masked up and there were certainly people wearing surgical gloves … There was some planning around this event, it just didn’t spirit itself out of the ether.” One nationalist resident who asked not to be named said he had seen a gang gathering at about 3pm. “I saw all these men, not young lads, massing outside a local loyalist drinking den, all wearing crash helmets. I thought they were going on an outing, just messing around. But it was the same gang who came down later on … It’s the worst I’ve seen in years and years.” Belfast’s mayor, Niall Ó Donnghaile, a councillor based in the Short Strand area, said a number of Catholic residents had been injured, including one man who was knocked unconscious when he was hit with a brick. “There is no doubt that this was unprovoked and was a carefully orchestrated and planned attack on the area,” he said. “Homes have been attacked with petrol bombs and paint bombs, bricks, golf balls. I saw what happened.” A member of Northern Ireland’s legislative assembly, Sinn Féin’s Alex Maskey, said: “The UVF launched an attack on the Catholic community in this area. I

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