Catholic homes attacked in north Belfast

Catholic families are counting the cost after houses and cars were damaged by a loyalist gang who went on the rampage in north…

Catholic families are counting the cost after houses and cars were damaged by a loyalist gang who went on the rampage in north Belfast.

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There's glass and paint all over the place. A bottle came through the window, hit the wall and splattered all over the room
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Resident of Duncairn Gardens

The 20-strong crowd broke through a peace line gate which separates the loyalist Tiger's Bay from the nationalist Duncairn Gardens and attacked property with paint bombs, stones and other missiles.

RUC officers who attempted to separate rival mobs in nearby North Queen's Street managed to disperse the gang. A spokesman said that three houses and a car were damaged.

One man, whose home was damaged by a paint bomb, said it was an orchestrated attack on the area, adding: "There's glass and paint all over the place. A bottle came through the window, hit the wall and splattered all over the room."

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During the trouble, a petrol bomb was thrown at the RUC close to a pub. There were also reports of sporadic stoning and a number of fireworks thrown at people in the Oldpark area.

The latest trouble follows a week of sectarian violence in north Belfast.

Extra troops have been drafted into the area to quell the trouble which has led to Catholic children being prevented from going to their primary school in the loyalist Glenbryn area.

PA