A controversial Ulster Volunteer Force band parade in north Belfast passed off peacefully on Saturday, contrary to earlier fears that it could reignite the internal loyalist feud in the area.
Up to 20 bands from the 36th Ulster Division Association and around 500 supporters took to the streets in Ballysillan to lay wreaths at a new UVF mural near the area's leisure centre. They were joined by bands from across Belfast as well as from Killyleagh and Newtownards, Co Down, Randalstown, Co Antrim, and Glasgow.
A major security operation involving the RUC and the British army began in the morning amid fears that violence could erupt between UVF supporters and those of the Loyalist Volunteer Force, which has links to the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). Army helicopters hovered above north Belfast for most of the day and blinds in many of houses along the parade route remained drawn.
The mural, which commemorates the killing of Martin Taylor who was gunned down while working at a house in the nearby Silverstream Park area, has been a source of tension between the UVF and the LVF/UDA, who were blamed for his death. On Saturday, bands stopped at the spot where he was shot and wreaths were laid. A number of masked loyalist paramilitaries then staged a show of strength which was followed by a short speech, publicly acknowledging Mr Taylor as a UVF "volunteer".
In recent weeks, there has been a series of tit-for-tat gun and arson attacks on homes in Ballysillan. The incidents are believed to be linked to the internal feud which broke out last August claiming seven lives and leaving around 260 families homeless. Loyalist and unionist politicians had appealed for calm ahead of the march.