BRITISH soldiers carrying rifles stood on Ormeau Bridge in south Belfast last night to prevent loyalists from entering the nationalist Lower Ormeau, writes Suzanne Breen. Several hundred loyalist youths gathered at the bridge and abused the RUC.
About loo nationalists stood on the other side of the bridge watching. Initially, only six or seven RUC Land Rovers kept the loyalists back, but reinforcements arrived when it looked like the youths might breach the police cordon. A helicopter hovered overhead.
Earlier, the Lower Ormeau Concerned Community group had culled on the RUC to ban an Orange Order parade through the area tomorrow, July 12th. A spokesman for the group urged the RUC to immediately declare that the march was being re-routed away from nationalist homes. Ballynafeigh Orange lodge plans to parade down the road tomorrow morning.
