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| Police fire baton rounds in city | Police fire baton rounds in city |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Police fired baton rounds in Belfast on Monday night. | Police fired baton rounds in Belfast on Monday night. |
| They were used when two rival crowds started trouble on the Albertbridge and Castlereagh roads in the east of the city. | |
| Up to 200 people gathered in the area. Missiles were thrown at police and passing motorists, but there were no arrests. | Up to 200 people gathered in the area. Missiles were thrown at police and passing motorists, but there were no arrests. |
| The trouble began after a rally was held by Sinn Fein to mark the closure of Mountpottinger Police Station. | The trouble began after a rally was held by Sinn Fein to mark the closure of Mountpottinger Police Station. |
| DUP councillor Robin Newton said he wanted to know who was behind the organisation of the event. | |
| "I would like to know if this was an event with the blessing of Sinn Fein, or whether this was something organised by one or two individuals," said Mr Newton | |
| "Because if it was a Sinn Fein organised event, then I think it was something that was reckless on their part. It obviously developed into a riot that they were unable to control." | |
| East Belfast Sinn Fein representative Niall O Donnghaile said the use of plastic bullets was "completely unjustified" and that the event and the trouble afterwards were not connected. | |
| "Interface trouble has been ongoing in this area over the past number of weeks and has been flagged up by community workers and statutory bodies from both sides of the community," he said. | |
| "The PSNI would have been made well aware of this these problems and, in my opinion, have failed to deal with the situation adequately." |