Police study CCTV footage of sectarian clashes

Police in Northern Ireland are studying CCTV footage of violent sectarian clashes at a north Belfast flashpoint today, in a bid…

Police in Northern Ireland are studying CCTV footage of violent sectarian clashes at a north Belfast flashpoint today, in a bid to identify troublemakers.

Rival gangs of Catholic and Protestant youths clashed in the Ardoyne area after a Community House and nearby homes were attacked in the loyalist Glenbryn Park area.

Bricks and bottles were then thrown by rival groups and a number of homes along Ardoyne Road were damaged during the clashes.

A police spokesman said officers quickly moved into the area to quell the violence, which erupted just before midnight.

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Police are studying CCTV footage of the disturbances, he added.

The area, which is close to Holy Cross girls' school, has seen serious sectarian rioting in the last two years.

Last night's clashes took place just hours after a contentious loyalist parade was given the go-ahead to proceed in the east of the city today.

The Parades Commission gave the loyalist Apprentice Boys march the green light last night after it proposed a new route.

The parade was allowed to go ahead after the loyal order agreed a new route which would minimise the time it spent near the nationalist Short Strand area.

PA