Sectarian attacks continue

Tension has risen in north Belfast after a series of loyalist attacks.

A house on Ardoyne Road was the latest to be targeted early yesterday morning.

Ursula Captain, and her two teenage children were in the living room of their house at around 12.55am when the attack took place.

Ms Captain said she had seen a man in his twenties walk up the road, stop at her house and pick up a brick.

``He kissed the brick and then he just threw it at my window,'' she said.

``It was definitely a sectarian attack. He ran off in the direction of the (loyalist) Glenbryn estate.

``This isn't the first time this house has been attacked. We were targeted eight months ago.

``There have been other attacks in the past three weeks. People are just scared about what is coming next. No-one knows what is going on or what to expect.''

Sinn Féin councillor Margaret McClenaghan said the attack was the latest in a series in the area.

``There have been reports nearly every night, particularly at the weekend and especially in the last two weeks,'' she said.

``We don't know why we're going back to all this again. It has been relatively quiet for the best part of the year. It seems to be an attempt to raise the temperature in the area.''

Meanwhile, a Sinn Féin councillor in east belfast, Joe O'Donnell has condemned an attack on a Protestant memorial on the Newtonards Road

``This is a memorial which was attacked, it is wrong, it should not have happened and I have no difficulty condemning it regardless of who did it. It has to be condemned by everyone,'' he said.

Urgent Appeal