Army helicoptor with search light hovering over East Belfast at the moment, around 12 army jeeps have just headed across the Albertbridge bridge.

I have heard several explosions in the last hour

[Mod edit - Sorry, we are keeping this thread for updates.]

Please use this thread as Gonzo has requested

Steer clear of the area bounded by the Shankill Road, Cambrai Street, Agnes Street and the Crumlin Road. A large crowd is roaming the Shankill at present.

If you live there, lock and bolt your door and stay indoors.

Shore Road M2 exit closed due to two wee lads burning out a wheelie bin at the bottom of Mount Vernon.

The PSNI are a pack of useless feckers.

All, for a short period this thread will be kept solely for safety updates. Please post other messages elsewhere.

The BBC is reporting trouble in "loyalist parts of Belfast and County Antrim with many roads blocked by protestors or burning vehicles".

Is anyone aware of trouble outside the city?

The police are telling people to avoid Monkstown, Glengormley, and Rathcoole. There is trouble on the Doagh Road and in Ballyclare.

I'm not aware of any trouble elsewhere.

Pensioners bungalows have been attacked at the bottom of the Newtownards Road/Short Strand

Some damage according to locals

Heavy police prescence in the vicinity

Helicoptor, searchlight on etc...

The latest BBC NI bulletins are here.

Sounds like it's kicking off. So much for the "feelgood factor"...

Why are my taxes being used to sponsor this elaborate PR operation that will be reported as a surveillance operation ? None of the wrong-do-ers will be picked up and even if they are they won't be prosecuted - let them internalise their rage onto themselves (self harm isn't all bad), let's face this - they're in a mad raging huff because they couldn't stick it to the taigs in the manner they'd have preferred, that's the long and the short of it. People of sense - please please please let us hear no more about this tiresome puerile fallacy which has commonly become known as unionist alienation. Working class loyalists have been forcibly entered from the rear since the inception of this state, not since 1998. And they have been thus buggered by other unionists and by their so-called political masters in Whitehall, speed the day when they usefully reflect on that and come back with a rationale which is slightly more advanced than that currently wheeled out which attributes their often shocking socio-economic position to ‘uppity taigs’ and the 'Roman conspiracy’.

Loyalist paramilitaries can go fuck themselves, unionist voters who depend on a decent living wage should fume and vent their anger on the people responsible for their situation. (clue – it ain’t their fenian ‘counterparts’). They should also be supported in their efforts to do so by non-loyalists who share victimhood at the mercy of the unfettered free marketeering of the Blair and Ahern-represented states.

Update from Albert Bridge: there's a huge black plume of smoke coming from what seems to be (i'm just a blowin -- don't know the city perfectly) further up Albert Bridge Road.

loyalists building baracades further up the Albertbridge road and setting them on fire.

They also tried to enter the Short Strand from the Mountpottinger Road.

Police used land rovers to push them back up the road

Just caught the update on Citybeat.

Apparently there's lots of trouble around Albertbridge Road, around Tate's Avenue/Donegal Road. There are also barricades in the centre of Glengormley.

2 helicoptors hovering over East Belfast at the moment, seems to be a lot of black smoke rising from the Templemore Avenue direction

The Donegall Road has at least three bruning cars and Tates avenue one burnt out. Police have kept Glenmachan Street still open but that could change. MSU's are in the area coming under sporadic attack (bricks, petrol bombs).

Nationalists attacked homes in Roden Street earlier this evening.

How did nationalists get to roden street

John

Along the Westlink (a dual carriageway is a usually more effective form of peaceline but not 100% proof.)

PS My 8.19 and 8.29 were not meant to imply cause and effect. It seems what is happening round here at the minute was going to happen regardless of the Roden Street attack.

fd

They would have presumably had to walk from the Grovesnor road to get to roden street.

Correct me if i'm wrong, i don't really know the area to well but from driving along the westlink on occasions, it seemed quite a distance

Bus hijacked in Bangor and passengers robbed.

Blast bombs thrown into Clandeboye gardens in the Short Strand, heavy police presence in east belfast

Templemore Ave and surrounding area tense.

Cars set ablaze in Larne Road, Harryville.

BBC are reporting a serious escalation this evening, with the police reporting 700 on the streets.

John

It is about 250-300 yards and plenty of tree cover along the way probably "retaliation" for the trouble yesterday on the Grosvenor Road.

Now about to risk my car to go pick up my girlfriend in Carrick wish me luck. Does it still take the NIO 2 years to pay out compo?

fair_deal
heard a few police sirens a wee while ago going in the direction of Carrick!

Fair deal

Does the DUP/UVF/Orange Order not supply you with 'get out of riot free cards?'

The OO should pay any money needed for compensation, not the UK taxpayer.

During the DUP/UDA/UWC "strike", the strike organization issued passes to allow people through barricades.

fair_deal, I don't think you should travel this evening. There was trouble in Carrick last night and I'd be surprised if it was quiet this evening.

I apologize to the mods for my last post which was not an update. Please delete it.

Lots of trouble in Glengormley, Newtownabbey and around the Ballysillan area. Looks like we're in for another night of madness.

being told Newtwonabbey Cars, at Corrs Corner has been targetted.

Been told by the girlfriend there's trouble in Ballymena, specifically Harryville and Ballee

West link closed due to attempted hi-jackings at Roden street

A digger was hijacked and used to knock down all the lamp posts on the Albertbridge road, a lot of damage.

It was then used to steal an ATM machine.

Citybeat reported that a bank has been set on fire in Newtonabbey it also said that a bus was hijacked in Bangor.The passengers were driven down a lane, taken off the bus and had all their personal belongings stolen.The bus was then burned in Conlig

iluvni/CS

Thanks for the concern but made it in and out ok (apart from the plastic bullet round that went bouncing past me as I left my house), once I got out of the Donegall Road area there were enough main roads open to get there and back to her house.

Their only loyality is crime.

WEEKEND OF RIOTS
1,000 police deployed
1,000 soldiers deployed
50 police injured
Petrol bombs thrown
Blast bombs thrown
Pipe bombs thrown
Shots fired at police
Seven firearms recovered
Up to 500 plastic bullets fired
Bomb factory found
Water cannon deployed
Cars and buses hijacked
One man shot by Army
Man critical after bomb blast
£m's in direct costs
£bn's in indirect costs.

THE ORANGE ORDER SHOULD PICK UP THE BILL.

The rest of us should not be paying. But thats precisely what will happen. This makes me angry.

To think I used to defend the OO.

OO - you have lost what remaining support I had.

The rumour machine says that there will be trouble tonight in Glengormely/Newtownabbey, in case anyone's heading home that way...

Slug you can add,

Orangemen removed their collarettes and attacked police during rioting in Belfast, Peter Hain has said.

In Belfast a 22-month-old infant sustained a fractured skull when rioters stoned the car the toddler was in in the Fortwilliam area.

In Bangor, a woman in her 70s was injured when she was attacked by a mob throwing stones at her car on Newtownards Road, just 500 metres from her home.

An automatic cash machine was also believed to have been removed from nearby premises by the driver of the digger.

In Newtownabbey just north of Belfast, a bank, video shop, fast food outlet and offices occupied by the Probation Board and DUP were burnt out at the Cloughfern Corner on the Doagh Road.

At nearby Fernagh Avenue, a pregnant woman and a man were dragged from their car by four men during an attempted hijacking.

---------------------------------------------

Babies, pregnant women and pensioners were all considered fair game. Remind me again how stealing a cash machine helps further their cause?

Any arguing the toss by unionist politicians and the OO over who is responsible for this is a waste of time. They helped sow the seeds and they are now reaping as they've sown.

Presently bomb warning blocking Lanark Way

Lunchtime rumours are Newtownards Road and Albertbridge Road are to be blocked from 4pm today. Other road blocks to start about 5pm.

Also if any of you live in any of the areas effected do NOT go rubber-necking at the trouble it seems the PSNI snatch squads are grabbing who they can (rioters and non-rioters - boosts the numbers and gets them back to the barracks for a few hours. One guy in Glenbryn got scooped standing at his front door with a cup of coffee in his hand).

West Circular will be blocked at 3.30pm (Source poster on Shankill Road)

We've heard that there will be a rally in city centre this evening. Anyone know if this is true?

Protests in Donegall Road area to start about 4pm (source next door neighbour)

Animus

I haven't heard that one.

Think there was a controlled explosion on Lanark Way.

Iv never been so ashamed to be part of the protestant community in my life,no consideration is being taken for anyone over a stupid fight that our grandparents started,for a place that is supposed to have the best education system in britain its full of brainless thugs and idiots.

Anyone know whether the disturbances are continuing tonight, or are they dying down?

(Want to knwo whether I should work from home again tomorrow).

Westlink is closed country bound due to loyalists from Roden Street stoning passing motorists.

Cars burning on the Crumlin road, Woodvale,Ballygomartin and Glenhachin st.

I get the impression they're not as serious as last night.

Can people post again the disturbances and tension in their areas as they occir tonight (Tuesday). This will help me todecide where to work tomorrow.

Wednesday evening

The protest at broadway had stopped after about an hour this evening but the police baton charged the women and children at Roden Street so a block is back on in Glenmachan Street. The mood is not positive round here so I would advise you all to err on the side of caution and avoid the area tonight

Thursday afternoon

There has been rioting in Highfield, Springfield road and Cambrai street.

There will be more road blockages this afternnon in North and West Belfast. Seymour Hill is expected to do the same. I am working on an assumption Broadway will be blocked too after the debacle with the PSNI at roden street yesterday evening.

Thursday night

Glencairn has decided its their turn. Multiple cars burning and attacks on police.

Friday

There are claims going about that everything is to close on the Shankill by 1.00pm and that the police have been visiting schools etc to tell them to do so.

Any confirmation of this?

Have heard the same about everything shutting down at 1pm today and also that they will try to march on the Springfield tomorrow. Unconfirmed however