Bricks broken from an old peace wall were used as missiles to target police as major disorder flared for a second successive night in south Belfast.
Children as young as seven were seen throwing bricks on Glenmachan Street as the Village area saw further serious violence.
Officers also came under attack from petrol bombs, paint and bottles thrown by a crowd of 40 young people.
Some ambulances going to the Royal Victoria Hospital faced disruption, a local McDonald’s had to restrict services, and fans attending the Northern Ireland women’s Euro qualifier at Windsor Park had their journeys home affected.
Local SDLP councillor Paul Doherty said: “Last night, certainly, again continued to shock at the level of young people involved in this kind of violence.
“The worst is the fact that we are in proximity with two local hospitals.
“It is just so hard to watch so many nurses and healthcare workers having to walk past with looks of anguish and fear on their faces trying to navigate against scenes of a riot.”
Children’s Commissioner Chris Quinn said the involvement of young people amounts to ‘child abuse’.
Photos taken by the Belfast Telegraph show an older masked man handing bricks to a young child, some of which were broken off from a nearby peace wall.
Police deal with disorder at the Broadway roundabout, close to the Village area of south Belfast, on Monday (Pic: Kevin Scott)
Police said officers were attacked by a crowd of around 40 people, described as teenagers – but some were much younger.
On Tuesday night, the Northern Ireland women’s team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 to qualify for the playoffs for Euro 2025.
But during the game the PA system warned spectators that they could not leave by certain routes after the game.
The UEFA official present did not see the best side of Northern Ireland, which is scheduled to host games during the men’s Euros in 2028.
Usually open 24 hours, McDonald’s also had to close early, only taking takeaway orders on Deliveroo and UberEats.
The closure of the off-slips from the Westlink caused disruption to ambulances heading back to the Royal Victoria Hospital, some of which had to be re-routed.
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Young people from the Village and St James’ areas have been fighting at the roundabout since October, but it spilled into serious violence on Monday, with further trouble the following night.
A local man from the Village area, who did not wish to be named, said the disorder was “absolutely shocking.”
He argued that the police were making things worse by being so ‘heavy handed’.
Police deal with disorder on Broadway Roundabout close to the Village area of South Belfast on July 16th 2024 (Photo by Kevin Scott)
Yesterday there was already a police presence with two officers in the estate talking to local people.
The man said: “We don’t have a problem with these cops because they’re from South Belfast, but the ones last night weren’t from Belfast – some of them were from Armagh.”
Police announced that a 38-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday.
Chief Superintendent Jeremy Lindsay, District Commander for Belfast, said: “Once again we are thankful that no police officers or members of the public were injured.
“However we must be clear, this disorder, which lasted into the early hours of this morning, is completely unacceptable.”
Liam Kelly, who chairs the Police Federation which represents ranks-and-file officers, said the violence was “wholly destructive and pointless”.
“People living in the immediate area of this disorder have had their lives turned upside down with damage caused to properties,” he said.
Mr Kelly fears if the disturbances continue officers and members of the public could be hurt.
“This street disorder has to stop. Nothing can be gained by rival groups inflicting such upheaval on families living in this area,” he added.
“Our officers will continue to maintain the rule of law and conduct professional policing operations until the gangs engaged in this street violence desist.”
Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People Chris Quinn visits the scene yesterday morning
Mr Doherty, a councillor for Black Mountain, said: “A lot of people are angry about this – what was very concerning last night was that we did see older men participating.
“The fear is that young people are being pushed further into this type of activity as a result.
“If one of these young people was struck by a stray missile or stone they could be seriously injured or even killed.
“We need people acting on the ground to stop these young people away because this just can’t continue.
“There has been a lot of work on the ground alongside police as well to ensure we will not see another night of this.
“We need to work collectively to ensure it is put to an end as quickly as possible.”
Mr Doherty added: “On the Falls side, we did not see any gathering of youths and I think youth centres and other outreach groups have done a lot of work at keeping young people away from the area.
“If anyone was curious about what was going on, they were directed to youth centres.”
The Children’s Commissioner also expressed concern.
Mr Quinn told UTV: “There have been pictures and scenes of adults handing children bricks and that’s just not on.
“Some people are reporting that there are criminal gangs behind the scenes orchestrating – if that is the fact we need to be strong on calling that out.
“As I say – this is exploitation of children, this is a safeguarding issue, this is child abuse.
“We need more from our government, children have the right to live in safety.”