EFFORTS are being made to resolve a Traveller feud that escalated into clashes in a church graveyard and in Belfast International Airport.
A fight broke out on Saturday evening in the airport's departures area as two groups of passengers brandished objects including mops and metal poles.
Earlier that morning, police used batons as they intervened to prevent a mass brawl involving more than 200 people in the grounds of St Mary's Church in Park in Co Derry.
Officers had earlier searched the area and seized two loaded shotguns, ammunition, several knives and blades, and a liquid believed to be acid.
It's believed some members of the Travelling community were in Park for the rededication of a family grave, but others arrived and tensions escalated.
Sinn Féin councillor Sean McGlinchey described the Park incident as "ridiculous" and "scandalous for that to go on in a graveyard".
The Benbradagh area representative on Causeway Coast and Glens council said there "would have been a bloodbath" without police intervening.
Mr McGlinchey said there is an "ongoing feud between different factions" in the Travelling community, and he believes the airport incident involves the "same crowd".
He said he met with senior Travellers yesterday morning in a bid to "arrange a meeting to try and resolve it".
"Very, very clearly this is not the type of thing we want in any community. We don't want this spreading out to other areas. We made that clear to a senior Traveller this morning. It is totally unacceptable," he said.
"We want to arrange a meeting with the different senior people involved and we want to relay this to them – we want this to stop now.
"Whether they listen or not, but all we can do is try."
Asked if police were examining whether the graveyard and airport incidents were linked, a PSNI spokeswoman said it is "a line of enquiry".
Belfast International Airport said an investigation into the violence is continuing and urged anyone with information or footage to get in touch.
It said both the airport police and the PSNI attended and the incident was "resolved", saying that it "in its entirety lasted seven minutes".
No-one was injured and there were no arrests, but four people "did not travel".
"There was insufficient grounds to prevent the remainder of the group from travelling and alcohol was not an issue," a spokeswoman said.
She added: "The airport will not tolerate behaviour such as this and takes such incidents very seriously. It acknowledges the concern and upset felt by passengers who witnessed the altercation."
PSNI chief inspector Alan Hutton said police were "aware of community tensions in the area ahead of a planned event" in Park and officers were deployed to prevent disorder.
"However, as tensions between two groups escalated, it was necessary for officers to intervene and use minimal force including the use of their batons, given the number of people involved," he said.
There were no reports of any injuries and no arrests were made.
He added: "Following a pre-planned search of the area earlier in the morning, a number of items were seized including two loaded shotguns, a quantity of ammunition, a number of knives and blades, as well as a liquid believed to be acid."
He said enquiries are continuing and urged anyone with information to phone police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
