A WINDOW in a family home was broken when marbles and other small missiles were thrown into the nationalist Short Strand area of east Belfast last night. Residents said objects were thrown over the 'peace wall' into Clandeboye Gardens from unionist Cluan Place through the course of the afternoon and early evening. Sinn Féin has described the attack as "sectarian". A PSNI spokesman said officers in east Belfast had "received reports of marbles being thrown at houses in the Clandeboye Gardens area of the city this afternoon". "It was reported that the window of a house was broken during one of the incidents," he said. "Police are investigating these incidents as a hate crime and would appeal to anyone with any information to contact them." Sinn Féin councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile said his thoughts were with the family whose window had been "put in during a sectarian incident". "For the sake of all families on both sides, no matter where it comes from, these attacks should stop and stop now," he said. UUP East Belfast MLA Michael Copeland said there was an "endless cycle of tit-for-tat" at the wall. "This follows on the back of something being thrown into Thistle Court off Templemore Avenue the day before," he said. "Barely a day goes by that Cluan Place and the other streets don't have something thrown into them and I'm sure people on the other side of that wall endure the same thing." Mr Copeland said noone should be attacked. PICTURES: Aidan O'Reilly
