One man has been injured in renewed sectarian trouble in north Belfast. The man, Mr Matthew Montgomery, said he was attacked by a group of loyalists as he walked through the area.
He was hit in the face with a brick in the Deerpark Road area of the city. He suffered cuts and bruising.
The disturbances came as a Catholic family moved out of the area following attacks on their home at the weekend and fresh threats made against them in the meantime. A number of homes along Deerpark Road have had their windows broken and are now boarded up.
Sinn Féin is blaming loyalists for the trouble and the intimidation. Community workers agree, but add that republicans too have been involved in trouble. They insist the violence is hooliganism and not related to paramilitary activity.
Sinn Féin's north Belfast representative, Mr Gerry Kelly, last night called on unionist politicians and community leaders to put pressure on those responsible to end the trouble. He accused loyalist paramilitaries of orchestrated violence against Catholics in the area.
He said: "Thirty years ago unionist paramilitaries tried to burn people of out their homes in exactly this same area. This week alone two families have been forced to leave the area because of attacks and intimidation. These attacks are clearly being orchestrated by the UDA."
He added: "It is time that unionist political leaders and community leaders used their energies to bring an end to this anti-nationalist pogrom".
In west Belfast, a Protestant family with two young children suffered a blast bomb attack on their home.
The device exploded in the street in front of Ms Zoe McQuaide's home, breaking windows, damaging the front door as well as some cars in the street in the loyalist Highfield estate. It was the second incident in the area. No-one was injured