Bombs Thrown at Cops in Belfast Riots

Four nights of rioting over Protestant parade dispute
By Ruth Brown,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 15, 2013 4:52 PM CDT
Bombs Thrown at Cops in Belfast Riots
A Molotov cocktail hits riot police after being thrown by loyalist rioters in north Belfast, Northern Ireland.   (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Protestors have been rioting for four nights on the streets of Belfast, after authorities banned Protestants from marching past a Catholic area of the city during a parade last week, reports Bloomberg. During a clash with police today, the protestors threw blast bombs and Molotov cocktails at the cops, who responded with plastic bullets and water cannons, reports the BBC. In another incident, rioters threw a pipe bomb packed with nails towards police, adds the Belfast Telegraph. No injuries have been reported in this evening's melees so far, but 44 cops have been injured in the past three nights, according to the BBC.

The Orange Order, which organized the march, has condemned the violence, but says the Parades Commission—which told the group it couldn't march down a particular street—is to blame, and that the riots only started on Friday after police hit protestors with water cannons and plastic rounds. "Those who had come for a peaceful protest were soaked and injured, leading to anger amongst many of those gathered," the Order said in a statement, per the BBC. (More Belfast stories.)

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