Belfast riots against protestant marches still flaring up

The unrest is exerting pressure on Northern Ireland’s political leaders, as a top police officer challenged First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy Martin McGuiness to publicly condemn the violence.

"I did not have a call from either of them in the run-up to this event and where are they today jointly speaking out against what has happened?" Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said.

"Northern Ireland cannot afford to have violent images beamed across the world every summer; images which are totally unrepresentative of the vast majority of people who have embraced a peaceful and vibrant future," Finlay said.

The violence, which included the throwing of petrol bombs, concrete slabs and bottles at Protestant Orangemenn, was described as "recreational rioting with a sinister edge" by Police Service of Northern Ireland chief Matt Baggott.

Fifty-five officers have been injured in 48 hours of rioting, and the 28 new victims included a female officer who had a breeze block thrown on to her head. Dissident republicans have been blamed for wrecking Northern Ireland's peace process by provoking the unrest, which a lawmaker said came during what would otherwise have been a peaceful protest.

"All that was achieved by this was that it undermined local residents and prevented them holding their planned protest," said Belfast lawmaker Gerry Kelly from the republican, Catholic Sinn Fein party.