13 police wounded in Northern Ireland violence

2012-09-03 33

Police in riot gear confront protesters in Northern Ireland, as a conflict between Catholics and Protestants over rival parades turns violent in north Belfast.

At least 13 policemen were injured in the clashes as protesters from both sides threw bottles and stones.

The disturbances followed a march by a Catholic Irish nationalist band in an area where pro-British Protestant groups were recently barred from parading.

Last weekend seven police officers were hurt in the same area when a Protestant band marched past a Catholic church playing music in defiance of a moratorium on parades.

Though both groups signed a peace agreement in 1998, much of Belfast remains divided along sectarian lines.

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