Belfast riots lead to questioning of police tactics over flag dispute

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Police tactics came under scrutiny on Saturday night after their decision to route loyalist demonstrators past a nationalist area in east Belfast erupted in riots.

The police casualty list reached 16 overnight as officers were injured trying to quell sectarian clashes linked to the union flag dispute. The police officers were taken to hospital following rioting between nationalists and loyalists in Castlereagh Street in the east of the city.

At one stage on Saturday afternoon there was hand to hand fighting between Catholic residents of the Short Strand area and loyalist marchers returning from Belfast city centre. Several police officers were taken to hospital following the rioting between nationalists and loyalists in the Castlereagh Street/Albertbridge Road area in the east of the city. Rioters also hijacked a car and set it on fire on the Beersbridge Road area during the early evening disturbances.

The disorder broke out after hundreds of loyalist demonstrators passed by the Catholic Short Strand district shortly after 3pm. They had been returning from a loyalist rally outside Belfast city hall at lunchtime to protest against the council's restrictions on flying the union flag there.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/12/belfast-flag-dispute-riots-police

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wow, all this over a damn flag? And you thought American right wingers were strong pearl clutchers over the flag!

[Earth_First]

1. 16 dead police officers?!

Over a flag?

[dipsydoodle]

3. No - casualties not deaths.

.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Police tactics came under scrutiny.

And so they should.

"all this over a damn flag? " - why do think our police on the mainland keep the supporters of opposing football teams apart ?

[riderinthestorm]

4. Its not just over a "damn flag". The grievances are old, real, and deep. The flag is the symbol only

of the deep wounds, and deeply offensive imho.

[TheMadMonk]

5. Tantamount to flying the confederate flag...

...at a Rosa Parks or MLK rally.

[obamanut2012]

7. And, hundreds of years of oppression and apartheid

The Police did this on purpose.

[ReRe]

6. Sinn Fein Councilman Donnaghaile...

...says these "illegal Protests" are an absolute disgrace. I think his councilmen are the ones who are absolutely disgraceful for starting this uproar several weeks ago with a very lopsided decision about when to fly the flags. And now he's blaming the protesters.

This is what I read of this earlier this week:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014359889

Shame on the council for stirring up this trouble. Many of the protesters (both sides of the conflict) are children. It makes one wonder why those kids are so eager to protest and cause property damage and harm to others. Are those kids/young adults down and out? What is THEIR story? I'll see if I can find anything else on this...

I think someone from here needs to fly over there and talk some sense into that council. They need to give in on the damn flag issue and stop this violence. No flag is worth one person's injury or God forbid death. Someone like George Mitchell or Big Dawg needs to fly over there and give them a little helpful advice. Those people fought and died for too long and I hope that this does not lead to further upheaval.