Opinion

Alarm over south Belfast clashes

Serious sectarian confrontations have thankfully been rare in most parts of Belfast over recent years so the sustained clashes involving rival gangs of youths taking place in the south of the city deserve to be regarded with the utmost concern

There will be particular alarm over suggestions that the scenes which have developed over recent days, in the vicinity of the mainly nationalist lower Ormeau Road and the strongly loyalist Donegall Pass districts, may have been coordinated through social media.

There is every prospect that some of the young people will find themselves with criminal records as a result of their activities, and even more disturbingly the level of violence which has been witnessed means that serious injuries and even death might well follow.

It is essential that community leaders work closely with police to bring the trouble to an end, and the role of parents should also be central to this process.