A parent at a Catholic school picketed by loyalists in north Belfast was today urged to end a hunger strike aimed at stopping the protest.
The man, whose daughter attends Holy Cross Primary School in Ardoyne that has been the focus of a bitter sectarian dispute between nationalist parents and loyalist protesters, has been refusing food since last Wednesday.
Catholic priest Fr Aidan Troy, who learned of the protest on Saturday and spent much of the weekend with the man, said today he was "devastated" by his action.
Fr Troy said: "This is very much an act of frustration, an act of desperation. I appreciate his frustration. However, I have been telling him that the method he is using is not the right one.
"If at the end of the day, he goes through with this and fasts to the death he will be leaving behind his wife and two children. I want him to think this through and realise that this is not the way forward".
Fr Troy said the man's protest was not politically motivated but a personal choice.
Loyalists in Glenbryn blocked the main route to the school, which is in their area, because they said they were suffering daily harassment from nationalists from Ardoyne.
This was denied by the parents and their community leaders, who said their community was being subjected to sectarian attacks.
PA