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Police attacked during south Belfast disorder

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BBC

There was a large police presence in the Sandy Row area

Police came under attack during further disorder in south Belfast.

It followed a weekend of violence which saw businesses damaged after an anti-immigration protest in the city on Saturday.

On Monday night, riot teams were deployed to Sandy Row, close to a supermarket that was set on fire, as a petrol bomb and stones were thrown at officers.

Police had said it was dealing with “ongoing disorder” in the Donegall Road area.

A number of officers in riot gear sealed off the street and a number of fires were lit in the area.

A petrol bomb has been thrown at police during Monday’s disorder

From the scene: ‘Stones thrown and bins set alight’

By BBC News NI reporter Cormac Campbell

At 21:30 BST, the Sandy Row and Donegall Road area of Belfast was quiet, but within five minutes a large crowd appeared on the street.

A huge police response quickly followed and roads were closed on Shaftsbury Square, Lisburn Road, Sandy Row and Donegall Road.

A fire was set at the same supermarket which was burned on Saturday, but it was quickly extinguished.

Although there were stones thrown and some bins set alight, from our vantage point this was more of a standoff than a riot with police loudspeakers telling crowds to disperse and those crowds unwilling to do so.

Police lines with officers in riot gear largely focused on moving people along the road.

Just before midnight, police pushed those involved up Blythe Street – a side street off Donegall Road.

By 00:20, police had started to withdraw from the scene and by 00:45 they were largely gone – but they returned just 10 minutes later when a crowd approached the Islamic Centre on University Road.

That crowd quickly returned back down Sandy Row but the police remained in position through the early hours.

“This was more of a standoff than a riot,” says BBC News NI’s Cormac Campbell

BBC News Ireland Correspondent Chris Page reported that several people were involved in the violence which was being directed towards several armoured police vehicles.

A number of officers in riot gear sealed off the street and a number of fires were lit in the area.

Earlier on Monday, councillors at a special Belfast City Council meeting passed a motion to provide financial support to businesses damaged during Saturday’s disorder.

The motion called for the council to establish a programme of financial assistance for those “impacted by racist criminal attacks”.

Bricks were thrown during the disorder

NI political leaders condemn violence

Political leaders, including the first and deputy first ministers, condemned the disorder which took place at the weekend.

Police had previously said three of its officers had been injured during clashes.

Earlier on Monday, four men were charged in relation to Saturday’s disorder.

Some fires were lit in the area during the disturbances

Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly said there was “no justification” for racism, violence or intimidation, adding there should be a “zero tolerance approach” taken towards those responsible for damage.

Justice Minister Naomi Long defended the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) response to the disorder, saying that officers were dealing with a “challenging” and “sporadic” situation.

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