Three men wearing balaclavas fired a volley of shots in the air at Corcrain estate in Portadown last night, following protests at the banning of Sunday's Orange parade down the Garvaghy Road.
The gunmen stood in front of a group of about 50 men wearing UFF T-shirts and standing behind a banner reading "Shankill Road UFF, 2nd Batt C Coy". They were led by the former UDA prisoner Johnny Adair.
This is the battalion which recently threatened to break the UDA ceasefire - a threat that was later rescinded by the UDA leadership.
One of the gunman read a statement saying "Billy Wright did not die in vain. No surrender". Wright, a loyalist leader, was assassinated in the Maze Prison.
Earlier, an RUC man was injured by youths throwing stones near the estate. Meanwhile, at Seagoe Road in the town a policeman fired two rounds in an incident which was still being investigated this morning. There were no injuries.
At Drumcree, a pincer movement by army and police forced back about 500 stone throwers after a petrol bomb was thrown at army vehicle.
The initial Orange Order response to an additional Parades Commission proposal that opened up the prospect of Orangemen parading down Garvaghy Road within eight months had been dismissive.
While Portadown Orangemen have yet to give their formal response to the Parades Commission's four-point plan detailing how a parade might be allowed, their press officer, Mr David Jones, said local members rejected the proposal.
The commission chairman, Mr Tony Holland, said such a parade would be possible if the Portadown District:
Complied with the determination of the commission next Sunday;
Accepted an immediate moratorium on Drumcree-related protests;
Avoided incitement to break the law or raise community tensions;
Engaged in dialogue with Garvaghy residents through mediator Brian Currin and in the Assembly Civic Forum when it is established.
"In these circumstances we believe that a limited parade could take place along the Garvaghy Road in a peaceful and lawful atmosphere, ideally within the next three to eight months."
Mr Jones said last night that while a detailed response would be forthcoming later from Portadown district, the local Orangemen had rejected the plan. He rejected a claim by Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith of the Garvaghy Residents' Association that Mr Gracey's comments on Sunday night amounted to incitement to violence. Such a claim was "very rich coming from an ex-terrorist" who was imprisoned for false imprisonment and hijacking.
Mr Jones did not condone the violence but said he understood "why certain people might be more likely to engage in violence" bearing in mind the ruling of the Parades Commission.
However, Mr George Patton, secretary of the Orange Order, said the commission's proposals would be considered.
Delivering his ruling in Belfast yesterday, Mr Holland tended to be particularly critical of the Portadown district. He said the commission had "tried time and time again" to alert the Orange Order that its strategy was "unacceptable, even counter-productive".
"Their approach has too often been categorised by protest and implicit threats of violence. They cannot escape all the responsibility for creating the circumstances in which rioting, assaults and other unlawful acts took place in 1996 and 1998," he said.