A journalist and a policeman were injured tonight as rioting erupted in North Belfast. Suspected pipe bombs exploded in the flashpoint Ardoyne district where ranks of security forces attempted to hold back nationalist protestors ahead of a hotly-disputed Orange Order parade.
Riot squad officers came under a barrage of attack, with rocks and bottles fired at them. Even though senior republicans urged nationalist youths not to attack police and soldiers, bricks rained down from rooftops.
A car was also set on fire close to police lines where a massive security operation had been put in place for the most contentious of all the Twelfth of July demonstrations taking place across Northern Ireland. As tensions heightened a water cannon was used to douse large crowds of nationalists and restore order.
The Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, who was at the scene along with senior party colleagues in an attempt to keep the situation calm, was among dozens doused by the jets. But the trouble escalated even before the Orangemen had made their return from Belfast City Centre up along the contentious route past Ardoyne's shop fronts.
A number of explosions occurred as devices were hurled out from the crowd gathered. One hit a journalist, understood to work for the BBC, in the back.
He was carried away by police officers and although still conscious, severe bruising could be seen. At least one policeman was seen wounded and had to be taken away by his colleagues.
The PSNI had put in place a significant security operation in north Belfast prior to the return of the Ligoniel Orangemen's parade past the nationalist Ardoyne area.
During the outward leg this morning PSNI officers backed up by the British army forcibly cleared sit-down protest by residents in the Ardoyne.
The protesters were removed ahead of the first leg of the march whih passed peacefully through the district shortly after 9am.
Mr Adams condemned the decision to let the parade pass the Ardoyne and criticised the security operation. "The huge military presence is entirely over the top," he said. "There are huge amounts of British soldiers here and life just stops, nothing happens and you can't go about your business."
The call for Orangemen to enter into dialogue with nationalist residents was echoed by the Sinn Féin president. "I defend their right to march," he insisted. "But in these communities where they are not welcome, it is good manners, it is neighbourly, to come and talk about it."