Water cannon used in fifth night of N. Ireland violence
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Loyalists set up burning barricades on the Newtownards Road in Belfast, a month after the City Council decided to fly the union flag on designated days only. Police officers in Northern Ireland used water cannon after coming under attack from rioters for a fifth consecutive night on Monday. -- PHOTO: AP
BELFAST, United Kingdom (AFP) - Police officers in Northern Ireland used water cannon after coming under attack from rioters for a fifth consecutive night on Monday.
Intermittent disorder has blighted Belfast since the city council's decision on Dec 3 to limit the number of days it flies the British flag, or Union flag, above the City Hall.
Around 1,000 protesters held a peaceful demonstration outside the City Hall on Monday as councillors held their first meeting since last month's decision.
But elsewhere in the city, police used water cannon after coming under fire from a hail of masonry and petrol bombs as they tried to separate rival loyalist and republican groups on the city's Newtownards Road.
