BELFAST, Sept 12: Belfast ground to a halt on Monday evening after Protestant demonstrators blocked roads and commuters, fearing a resumption of the weekend’s rioting, scrambled to leave the city early.

Earlier Belfast residents struggled to work through streets littered with burnt-out cars and broken glass after two days of rioting by Protestants frustrated at what community leaders call government failure to deal with their security fears.

Rioters hurled petrol bombs, set light to hijacked cars and shot at police in the worst unrest in Northern Ireland for years.

“It’s just like the bad old days”, said one Catholic shopkeeper, who had to pick his way through broken bricks and glass to get to work on Monday.

Tension in Northern Ireland’s Protestant communities, which largely favour British rule, has mounted since Britain started to scale back its security presence in the province following a pledge by Irish Republican Army (IRA) guerillas to disarm.

“A number of roads have been closed due to seven protests around the city,” a police spokeswoman said on Monday evening. “This is exacerbating traffic that was already heavy with people trying to get home early.”

Protestants fear Britain is moving too fast at a time when the IRA, which formally ended its armed campaign against British rule in July, has shown no sign of getting rid of its weapons.

“The weekend’s violence was much more deep-seated than many are perhaps prepared to accept,” said Reg Empey, leader of the moderate pro-British Ulster Unionist Party.

“There has been a build-up of resentment that those who practise violence get listened to and have their concerns addressed ... Republicans are seen to influence government by threatening force and getting rewarded for their efforts.”

In what analysts said was a strong warning to Protestant paramilitaries to end their violence, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said he was reviewing their ceasefire status, which could close off negotiating channels for the militants.

“I was horrified at the evidence I have been shown of the severity of the attacks on police officers,” Hain told reporters. “We’ve seen scores of bullets fired by paramilitaries without any objective other than to kill police officers.”

Some 3,600 people died in 30 years of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, but the bombings and shootings largely stopped when ceasefires were declared in 1997.

However, a lasting political settlement has proved elusive. A regional, Belfast-based government that shared power between Catholics and Protestants has been on ice since 2002.

Repeated efforts to get all sides back to the negotiating table have been thwarted repeatedly by allegations of broken promises and outbreaks of violence.

Northern Ireland minister David Hanson said on Monday the IRA’s July statement raised he prospect of restoring local government. “Direct rule is not the right way for Northern Ireland to be governed. Devolution is,” he said. “We want to — and we will — hand back to politicians as soon as we can.”

Analysts said the government faced an uphill battle as many Protestants felt the government was ignoring their concerns.—Reuters