NATIONALIST youths armed with sticks and stones were last night standing by the Lanark Way peaceline between Springfield Road and the Shankill Road in west Belfast.
They said they were guarding the area after loyalists breached security fencing the previous night, though they were not able to get past a huge steel gate.
The gate was closed earlier than usual yesterday, but the youths said that they would stay on the peace line "in case the Orangies try and attack us again".
Early yesterday, nationalist youths stoned the RUC, claiming police beat up a man in Cupar Street. Around 16 families, both Protestant and Catholic, left Clifton Park Avenue after loyalist youths bombarded their houses with bricks and petrol bombs.
As they were moving out, a car drove up the street and a man rolled down the window and shouted "get the Taigs out of this street".
The Housing Executive said it has received 32 requests, most from north Belfast, for emergency accommodation from families who say they have been intimidated out of their homes.
An SDLP councillor, Mr Martin Morgan, said "the local Catholic community has been very restrained so far but Catholic youths are starting to congregate on street corners as well now. The police tell me they don't have the resources to keep watch in the area permanently but I would appeal to them to try to do so anyway.