Transcript
REPORTER
Police in Northern Ireland have used water cannon tonight as more petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown on the seventh night of violence on the streets of Belfast. The renewed unrest comes despite a plea for calm from the British and Irish prime ministers, who issued a joint statement this evening.
Police say the clashes between Catholic and Protestant communities last night were some of the worst violence they have seen in recent years. During an emergency session of the Northern Ireland Assembly today, politicians on all sides lined up to condemn the attacks.
Our Ireland correspondent Emma Vardy has the latest.
[SIREN WAILING]
[SHOUTING]
EMMA VARDY
On an already febrile situation, now more fuel on the fire.
[CHEERING]
At one of Belfast’s peace lines, last night the peace was broken.
[EXPLOSION]
In the hands of teenagers, petrol bombs thrown in both directions over the wall.
[CHEERING]
Each evening, these gates are locked to keep the mainly Protestant and Catholic communities apart. Now forced open, rammed by cars, and battered closed by police amidst a running battle between crowds on each side.
JIM KELLY
It’s hard to control mobs of kids. When they see one side doing it, they’re joining in.
EMMA VARDY
Who’s encouraging it?
SPEAKER 1
The loyalist politicians are doing it. Why? Because of they got Brexit in, and it’s not working. It will take months and months to repair the damage community wise, if its ever repaired.
[CHEERING]
EMMA VARDY
As the fighting continued between Belfast’s Shankill and Springfield Road--
[EXPLOSION]
--local priests tried to warn young people of the danger, themselves in harm’s way. The to-and-fro attacks which lasted over an hour have just been interrupted by the arrival of this line of police Land Rovers, who pushed the crowd back from this side of the peace wall. Earlier, on the other side of the wall in the loyalist Shankill Road, a bus was hijacked and set alight.
JONATHAN ROBERTS
The disorder last night was on a scale that we have not seen in recent years in Belfast or further afield. The fact that it was sectarian violence, there was large groups on both sides of the gates at Lanark Way, and again, is something that we have not seen for a number of years.