UDA leads North Belfast attacks
By Mick Naughton.
Last Monday's appearance in a Belfast court of six
loyalists involved in an attempt to invade and burn
down Catholic homes on the Limestone Road in North
Belfast was the latest in a series of attacks in the
flashpoint area.
Five of the six, charged with riotous behaviour, were
released on bail but 23 year old Darren Johnston from
the Limestone Road was remanded in custody after it was
said he had played a leading role in a repeat of
attacks on nationalist homes beside Newington Street.
d despite the claims of leading UDP member Tommy
English that the loyalist mobs were intent in attacking
the RUC, the 50 strong crowd was trying to make its way
towards nationalist homes when confronted by an RUC
patrol. Three plastic bullets were fired during the
rioting.
elderly couple had a lucky escape when a petrol bomb
set fire to the roof of their home.
The scene where Saturday nights loyalist mob gathered
has witnessed hundreds of sectarian attacks by
loyalists from Tigers Bay which adjoins the nationalist
Newington area.
Sinn Fein councillor Bobby Lavery, who has worked over
the years with community leaders to defuse the regular
loyalist attacks, declared himself disgusted after yet
another attempt to burn nationalist homes to the
ground.
``It was exactly the same around this time last year
with the `tour of the north' Orange Parade in June.
Communities are living in dread of what's coming up,''
Lavery said.
Earlier a demonstration calling for an end to heavy RUC
patrolling in the Tigers Bay area, organised by the
UDP, was held.
Added Lavery, ``rather than take their frustrations out
on the RUC at York Road only yards from the site of the
protests, loyalists gathered a quarter of a mile away
beside the nationalist Newington area and the RUC only
came out after local nationalists had repelled the
attackers''.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)