The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has denied a Sinn Féin claim that it is adopting a partisan attitude to quelling street disturbances after another weekend of sectarian violence in parts of Belfast.
The PSNI said six of its officers were injured as they attempted to keep rival loyalist and nationalist gangs apart on Saturday night close to the Clandeboye Gardens and the Cluan Place interface in east Belfast.
Police said officers were attacked with fireworks, bricks, bottles, nuts and bolts and other objects.
A 7-foot length of wood studded with nails was also recovered from the nationalist Clandeboye Gardens, the police added.
Local Sinn Féin representative Mr Stephen Long said there was no confrontation when the police entered the area.
He accused the police of using heavy-handed tactics.
"The PSNI came into Clandeboye Drive and started attacking young people in that area under the pretext that they were clearing away rubble and removing rubble from the area," he said.
On Friday, the Sinn Féin chairman, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, accused police of being partisan.
There appeared to be an acceptable level of violence "so long as it is visited upon the nationalist community", he said.
Mr Brian McCargo, the PSNI deputy assistant chief constable for Belfast, rejected the allegation.
"Violence from whatever quarter is totally unacceptable and police will take action against those responsible," he said.
"This running sore of public disorder is causing intolerable suffering on both communities.
Police will do their best to protect those in danger and we will bring those responsible for violence before the courts," added Mr McCargo.
"Several individuals have already been subject to legal proceedings but the heart of the solution lies within the communities themselves."
Meanwhile, a British army bomb disposal squad was called out on Saturday night to defuse a pipe bomb found inside a security grille surrounding the police station at North Queen Street in north Belfast.
The DUP said republicans were to blame for the attempted bomb attack.
