CATHOLIC families in north Belfast who were put out of their homes by a loyalist mob on Saturday night claim there has been growing tension in the area fort many months.
Eight Catholic families are understood to have been forced out of their homes during fierce rioting at the Limestone Road area, an interface between Catholic and Protestant communities.
Masked loyalist mobs broke into two houses which had been converted into flats at the corner of the Limestone Road and Halliday's Road. They also threatened to burn the flats and the families there were forced to flee. The gang attacked several more houses, smashing windows.
The rioting began shortly after 6.30 p.m. on Saturday when groups of rival factions threw stones and bottles at each other. The RUC backed by the British army moved in to separate the factions but also came under attack from stones and bottles. A spokesman said yesterday that one man had been arrested.
SDLP Councillor and North Belfast constituency representative, Mr Alban Maginness, who is the area's candidate in the Westminister elections, called for greater community efforts to control the situation and urged local community groups to reactivate relationships.
Mr Maginness also called for an effective" police presence and a police policy" to help prevent these sorts of incidents from happening.
He welcomed a visit from the Rev Margaret Johnston, a minister of Fortwilliam Presbyterian Church, who brought flowers and messages of goodwill to the Holy Family parish in which the rioting happened.
Sinn Fein's North Belfast representative, Mr Gerry Kelly, accused loyalist organisations of "orchestrating" the attacks on Catholic families in the area.
Mr Kelly said: "The Catholic community in north Belfast is tonight fearful that it is about to endure again all of the horror which it experienced last summer in the wake of Drumore".
SDLP MP for West Belfast, Dr Joe Hendron, also condemned the rioting, adding that it was "extremely worrying". He said: "There is a desperate need to rebuild community relations in this area. I hope community leaders will come together to try and break down the naked sectarianism which lies behind these attacks."
The damage caused by an arson attack on a haulage firm near Portadown, Co Armagh, is expected to rise to hundreds of thousands of pounds. Six lorries and five trailers plus their contents were damaged in the blaze at Anfield transport. In Armagh a needlecraft shop was extensively damaged in another fire which is thought to have been started maliciously.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, called on "decent unionists and decent loyalists to put the brakes on the bigots."
Mr Adams said: "The responsibility for last night's events lies of course with those who sought to evict those Catholic families. But it also lies with the political leaders on the unionist and loyalist side who have created a climate which allows this to happen."