Photo Gallery Beleaguered in Belfast
Protestants see the Belfast City Council decision to only fly the Union Jack above city hall on special occasions as yet another victory for the city's Catholic community. It didn't take long for riots to begin.
The unrest is partly the result of dim economic prospects for young people. Young people from working class families are becoming increasingly frustrated because they face even worse prospects than their parents did, says Lavery. But their dissatisfaction only turned into rage and violence after the flag decision.
Lavery would like to prevent them from throwing stones and firebombs at homes and police cars, but the lure of the streets is too strong. "The riots are more exciting," said Lavery.
For a long time, the Protestant political parties -- Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) -- were able to persuade their constituents to behave peacefully, but recently they have lost support in working class neighbourhoods.
