SECTARIAN attacks are increasing on both sides of the Northern community as emotions run high during the continuing violence. The balance of such attacks has now swung against the Protestant community and Orange halls.
On Saturday night, an RUC officer fired several live rounds into the air to disperse a crowd throwing petrol bombs at Protestant houses in north Belfast.
An RUC spokesman said the attackers came from the Brompton Park area of Ardoyne and had attempted to petrol bomb houses in Twaddell Avenue. RUC officers were in the area but were not carrying riot guns.
The spokesman said the situation was considered life threatening and a policeman fired a number of shots into the air.
Other attacks on Protestant homes or property since Friday include arson attempts on St Mark's Church Hall, Tennent Street, Belfast, on Greenan Orange Hall, Omagh, Co Tyrone, and on Tirooney Orange Hall, Carrickmore, Co Tyrone.
A Presbyterian church hall in Moneymore, Co Derry, was also attacked and petrol bombs were thrown at two unoccupied Protestant homes in Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh.
Damage in all these cases was slight.
There were also reports that Orange halls were attacked at Donemana, Co Tyrone, and between Strabane and Sion Miles.
In Dungiven, Co Derry, attempts were made on Friday to burn the new Church of Ireland parish hall.
The Jaffe Centre, on the Cliftonville Road, north Belfast, was badly damaged in an arson attack on Saturday night. For the past 21 years, the centre has been catering for students from both sides of the community who are affected by emotional or behavioural problems.
A memorial to the eight Protestant workmen who died in the Teebane IRA bomb attack in 1992 was badly damaged when a cement mixer was driven into it and was then set alight.
The memorial pillar is at Teebane crossroad on the Omagh to Cookstown road. The workmen died when the minibus they were travelling in on the way home from construction work at Lisanelly army barracks, Omagh, was blown up by a massive bomb.
Earlier last week, during intense loyalist violence, dozens of Catholic schools, churches and homes were fire bombed.
Some 40 Catholic families were intimidated into leaving their homes, mainly in north Belfast.