Up to 400 women marched along the Shankill Road in West Belfast last night to demand an end to the feud between rival Loyalist paramilitaries. The women said that they represented both sides of the Loyalist divide, and they called on both the UDA and the UVF to stop the violence.
Spokesmen for both the UDP and the PUP, which are linked to the paramilitary groups, expressed doubt that the march would have much effect on the ground. However, a member of the Women's Coalition, May Blood, said that such protests would continue.
In a separate incident, an explosive device exploded on the doorstep of a house in Coleraine, County Derry, last night. The RUC said that it was thrown at the front of the house at Glebe Avenue in the town shortly before 9.30pm. Two women inside at the time escaped injury. British Army bomb experts attended the scene and remnants of the device were taken away for examination. Police said that the motive for the attack was unclear.
