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By Sharon O’Neill, Liz Trainor and Bimpe Fatogun
 WRECKAGE: The mangled remains of Thomas McDonald’s bike lie in the road PICTURE: Bill Smyth
PRESSURE was mounting from religious and political leaders for an end to sectarian strife at Holy Cross girls school as gunmen returned to the streets of Ardoyne last night.
Catholic and Protestant Church leaders appealed for an end to the loyalist protests and the acting first and deputy first minister called for the needs of the children to be put first.
The calls came as police launched a murder investigation when a Protestant boy was knocked down and killed at another flashpoint.
Thomas McDonald (16) was struck by a car while riding a BMX bicycle on the Whitewell Road, only yards from his home in the White City enclave.
A 32-year-old woman, arrested shortly after the incident, was last night being questioned by police.
There were local reports that the car followed the teenager into the loyalist White City estate after a stone was thrown at the vehicle as it emerged from the nearby nationalist Longlands estate.
Rioting once again engulfed the Ardoyne area. Shortly before 8pm a nail bomb and a number of blast bombs were thrown at police at the Ardoyne Road. Two police officers suffered minor injuries.
An hour later, blast bombs and petrol bombs were hurled at the security forces from a large group of loyalists in Glenbryn.
A short time later up to seven shots were fired in the area and there were reports of two shots striking a wall in Alliance Avenue shortly before 10pm.
Earlier, acting first and deputy first ministers Sir Reg Empey and Seamus Mallon called on all those involved in the Holy Cross dispute to put the welfare of the children first.
“This sectarian strike which places children in the front line is creating an extraordinary dangerous situation for all of us.”
Church leaders called for an end to the protests.
Bishop of Down and Conor Patrick Walsh said he felt a “tremendous sense of revulsion” at the reception the school children received on Monday. And he added: “This sort of protest must stop.”
Church of Ireland primate and archbishop of Armagh Lord Eames said: “No society has the right to deny young children access to education and it is tragic beyond words to see that the troubles of our community now effect young children of schools in north Belfast.
Meanwhile, north Belfast DUP councillor, Nelson McCausland said he expected the protests at Holy Cross school to continue unless a mechanism can be found to break the cycle.
He was speaking after a meeting between unionist and loyalist representatives and RUC north Belfast divisional commander, Roger Maxwell. Mr McCausland attended the meeting along with PUP assembly member Billy Hutchinson and north Belfast MP Nigel Dodds.
He called for parents of children attending Holy Cross to consider taking another route to the school.
However, last night Sinn Fein councillor for north Belfast, Eoin O Broin, said parents would be taking their children along the same route today.
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