Belfast Violence Draws Kids Through Texts

Children may be using text messages to encourage their friends to join in the Belfast rioting, reports the Belfast Telegraph.

The newspaper reports that the warning about children's involvement comes after three nights of violence in the Ardoyne area of the city, in which one police officer was injured.

Parish priest Fr Gary Donegan told the Belfast Telegraph he feared that children were excited by the violence and he saw young people phoning their friends to join them in rioting.

"We would appeal to all of those with influence in the community to work with us to bring this disorder to an end," a police spokesperson told the Belfast Telegraph.

Irish state broadcaster RTE reports that the PSNI has released two men arrested earlier in the disturbances, and have arrested another two, aged 17 and 18.

Sinn Fein has joined the PSNI in attributing blame for the riots to republican dissidents, RTE reports.

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