A car was hijacked and a number of petrol bombs thrown at police in Derry City tonight.
Disturbances flared in the Bogside area of the city. Police urged motorists to steer clear of the area.
Unionists claimed youths from the nationalist community attacked Orange marchers as they returned to the city centre.
Sources claimed the situation escalated as the youths were pushed back into the Bogside area.
It is understood the stone throwing occurred near the historic wall of the city in Fahan Street at around 6.30pm.
Sinn Finn councillor Peter Anderson accused PSNI officers of being heavy handed during efforts to drive stone throwers away from the city centre. "When they drove the youths back into the Bogside, there were wanton acts of aggression with police vehicles mounting the footpaths," he said. "That inflamed the situation and we ended up with a car being hijacked and set on fire. "Basically we had a police operation which was a sledgehammer being used to crack a nut." By 8pm, there was calm in the area, with community activists on the ground trying to diffuse the situation.