RUC, civilians hurt in North Belfast rioting

Nine RUC officers and several civilians were injured last night during sectarian riots in North Belfast.

It's the IRA who are involved in this, who are orchestrating this Local DUP councillor Mr Ian Crozier

In the violence in the Whitewell area, a coffee-jar bomb was thrown but did not explode as rival Catholic and Protestant groups threw petrol bombs and stones.

A senior RUC officer said the trouble was the worst the flashpoint area has witnessed in years and urged both sides to pull back before there were any deaths.

There's an orchestrated campaign by loyalists within some of these interface areas to kind of retrospectively justify their attacks on the nationalist community Sinn Féin spokesperson Mr Eoin O'Broin

Some local residents claimed the trouble started when nationalists from the lower end of the Whitewell Road attacked Protestant homes.

Local DUP councillor Mr Ian Crozier said the violence was being organised by republican paramilitaries.

Claiming gangs were arriving by mini-bus to attack Protestant homes, he said: "It's the IRA who are involved in this, who are orchestrating this."

But Sinn Féin's Mr Eoin O'Broin rejected claims a republican campaign to drive loyalists from the area was under way.

He said: "There's an orchestrated campaign by loyalists within some of these interface areas to kind of retrospectively justify their attacks on the nationalist community."

In a seperate incident, a pipe-bomb exploded in East Belfast.

This happened at around 9 p.m. last night at the back of an entry to Kyle Street in the Sydenham area.

There are no reported injuries.