Belfast riots lead to questioning of police tactics over flag dispute [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Police tactics came under scrutiny on Saturday night after their decision to route loyalist demonstrators past a nationalist area in east Belfast erupted in riots.
The police casualty list reached 16 overnight as officers were injured trying to quell sectarian clashes linked to the union flag dispute. The police officers were taken to hospital following rioting between nationalists and loyalists in Castlereagh Street in the east of the city.
At one stage on Saturday afternoon there was hand to hand fighting between Catholic residents of the Short Strand area and loyalist marchers returning from Belfast city centre. Several police officers were taken to hospital following the rioting between nationalists and loyalists in the Castlereagh Street/Albertbridge Road area in the east of the city. Rioters also hijacked a car and set it on fire on the Beersbridge Road area during the early evening disturbances.
The disorder broke out after hundreds of loyalist demonstrators passed by the Catholic Short Strand district shortly after 3pm. They had been returning from a loyalist rally outside Belfast city hall at lunchtime to protest against the council's restrictions on flying the union flag there.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/12/belfast-flag-dispute-riots-police
wow, all this over a damn flag? And you thought American right wingers were strong pearl clutchers over the flag!
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