Protestants Again Taunt N. Irish Schoolgirls

Frightened schoolgirls, protected by a tunnel of soldiers and police, were rushed into a Roman Catholic elementary school in a northern part of this provincial capital Tuesday, as Protestant protesters shouted threats and vulgarities for a second straight day.

Many mothers cupped their hands over their children’s ears to block out the abuse from the other side of the security lines. About 50 schoolgirls, ages 4 to 11, braved catcalls and clashes to get to class, but about two-thirds of their classmates at Holy Cross Primary School stayed home.

One officer suffered a broken collarbone when a homemade grenade thrown from the ranks of the protesters blew up in front of him. On Monday, the mother of a girl was injured. Police said Tuesday that an additional 21 officers suffered mostly minor injuries in overnight rioting in several parts of bitterly divided northern Belfast.

Politicians pleaded Tuesday for an end to the ugly confrontation.

“The present situation is appalling. There is a serious danger that the problems could spread to other schools in the area,” warned David Trimble, leader of Northern Ireland’s major Protestant party, the Ulster Unionists.

The Protestant demonstrators said they would keep harassing the students until Catholics stopped attacking the Protestants’ own vulnerable homes, which lie beside the school in the otherwise Catholic neighborhood of Ardoyne.