Hundreds demand end to Ardoyne riots

Hundreds of people have attended a protest in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast over the recent rioting.

They were demanding an end to the violence which began on Monday and broke out again on the next two nights.

Meanwhile, 20 PSNI officers are investigating footage of the riots to identify those involved.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Little said 100 hours of video footage and 1,000 photographs taken by intelligence gathering teams were being looked at.

Evidence from other sources, including the internet, was also being examined, he said.

There was a third night of rioting in Ardoyne on Wednesday. There was also violence in the nearby New Lodge on Sunday night.

A car was set on fire and petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown during sporadic violence in Ardoyne. Police fired baton rounds in response.

On Thursday night, police said an 18-year-old man had been charged with 10 offences, including rioting, having and throwing petrol bombs and assault on police.

He is to appear in court on Friday.

DCI Little said those organising the riots were using children as "sand bags" and appealed to parents to get their children off the streets at night.

"Those hiding behind them in the shadows are not the ones with the petrol bombs in their hands," he said.

"And they are not the ones ending up with criminal records which could seriously affect that young person's future."

Wednesday night's trouble was less intense than the violence seen on previous evenings and involved fewer rioters.

There have been four consecutive nights of rioting in north Belfast

Police used a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

They said a number of police officers had been injured but none were thought to be in a serious condition.

Two men in their late teens and early 20s were arrested. One was released pending further inquiries.

Police also revealed 10 arrests have been made in south and east Belfast over rioting there.

Seven were in the Ormeau Road area for riotous behaviour and three in the Albertbridge Road area for attempted murder (throwing a petrol bomb into a car), riotous behaviour and disorderly behaviour.

Those arrested range between 15 and 20 years of age.

Police also seized 33 bottles of paint and more than 100 other bottles they believe were to be used to make paint or petrol bombs during searches in south and east Belfast on

Pair remanded

On Thursday, a man and a youth were remanded in custody accused of being involved in Twelfth of July rioting in south Belfast.

The 16-year-old suspect, who cannot be named, is charged with throwing a petrol bomb with intent to injure police officers.

He faces a second count of riotous behaviour in the Ormeau Road area.

Gary Kelly, 20, of Lavinia Mews, Belfast, was charged with riotous assembly on the same date.

Meanwhile, two men have been arrested by police investigating a shooting in which three police officers were injured in north Belfast on 12 July.

The men, aged 25 and 35, were taken to Antrim police station for questioning about the gun attack in North Queen Street, during a riot on Monday.