Belfast Orange Parade Turns Violent As Police Lift Car Off Teenage Girl

The Moment Police Lift Car Off Teenage Girl As Violence Returns To Belfast

This is the moment police had to lift a car off a teenage girl after she became trapped when violence broke out in north Belfast on Monday evening.

The incident began when police blocked an Orange Order parade from marching through a controversial stretch of the Crumlin Road.

A crowd of nationalists gathered in protest at the march as it approached police lines, empty bottles, bricks and metal bolts were thrown at police, according to the BBC.

Police lift a car off a teenager who became trapped underneath

Officers help the unidentified girl

Violence escalated when an out-of-control car struck pedestrians in nearby Ardoyne, trapping a girl underneath and injuring a number of people.

The girl was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital, where it is now understood she is in a stable condition.

The driver of the car has now been arrested.

At least eight officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were injured in the violence, with one requiring twelve stitches to a finger after being bitten, according to Sky News.

The Crumlin Road has a history of violence and was the scene of a number of killings during the Troubles.

The Twelfth of July is an Ulster Protestant celebration marking the victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers described attacks on police as “disgraceful”, adding: "Those responsible do nothing to further the cause they claim to promote.

"They damage Northern Ireland and wreck a day which should be about respectful celebration of cultural tradition."

Loyalists break through a police barrier

Part of the Twelfth of July procession

A spokesperson for the Orange Order’s Grand Lodge said: “Those involved in violence should desist. It is not only counterproductive but also plain wrong.

“Such actions are only strengthening the hand of those who wish to further curtail our parades.

“We call on anyone engaged in illegal behaviour to stop immediately.”

The spokesperson also spoke out against the reported stoning of a bus transporting Orangemen as it passed through Greysteel, Co Londonderry.

They said the bus, carrying lodge members from the Republic, was returning from a Twelfth demonstration in Coleraine. It is understood no-one was seriously injured in the incident.

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