‘Unacceptable’ violence and rioting over flag in Belfast has cost $24 million

"SHAME ON ALLIANCE PARTY [for proposing amicable compromise democratically (ACD)]!" "HAND'S OFF THE UNION FLAG [hoist it remotely instead]!"

If the Violence had more to do with Partisan Politics, ( The Real I.R.A. Sinn Fien, The Communists, The Socialists, Opus Dei, and so on. ) than the Sectarian Diplomacy of Bourgeois Capitalist Economics; The NATO, ( EU ? ) and UN Tanks would be rolling down Shankill Road !

The police may need a bigger stick to rid the Streets of these orange bullyboys.

The Union Jack belongs in Great Britain and the Tri-Colour in Ireland.

These latest disturbances must give pause to those who crow about their contribution to the so-called NI Peace Process! ( N O'D if the cap fits! ..... )

The decision to restrict the flying of the British union flag over Belfast City Hall was a democratic one, which people from the previous majority tradition are obviously having difficulty getting used to after 90 years of gerrymandered ideological hegemony. It's not for a minority tradition, even if the largest minority, to dictate to the other two minorities that their flags can't fly too. They're like children going through terrible twos temper tantrums, refusing to give up their transitional object. Grow up, for God (and Ulster's) sake! UTV/BBBCNI teatime news just now shows flag protesters dictating traffic policy to police by illegal road closures. Beggars belief. Would never be tolerated any where else in Ireland.

These terrorists read the census report and discovered they were not so much a majority so being unionists and just like the bees when their nest is ruffled they attack in swarms and use the removal of the piece of cloth as an excuse for their erratic behavior and we Irish in the north west of our country have had to put up with the annoyance of their terrorist tantrums for the last couple hundred years.There has to be a place in heaven for us for sure

kilkee91, my preference is Doire. However, I like the Belfast Telegraph practice to refer to Derry and Londonderry alternately within the news article.

We had a group cycle tour planned for NI around Easter now some who have never been are having second thoughts,but are prepared to wait and see if things calm down,if not they will go elsewhere,the business traders in the north who are the biggest losers deserve better.

I knew a woman from Belfast who made nappies out of the Union Jack so she could wrap her babies in loyalist fashion.

I like reading Irish Central, but it's "Irish" Central. One wonders where you source your material when you refer to the Irish city of Derry under the British name Londonderry? Minor point.

Quite a few papers reporting today that just about everyone that matters knows who is orchastrating all the violence. Although no one appears interested in doing anything about it Marian Price remains INTERNED as a political prisoner for holding a piece of paper in a cemetary.