I watched Belfast burn as masked mobs hunted for violence and police vanished from the streets

As the team from LBC flew in, I could see several pillows of smoke hovering over the city from the sky.

The biggest plume was coming from east Belfast, so that became our destination.

I arrived in Newtownards Road to the vision of flames tearing through a bus, surrounded by an angry mob.

I quickly realised this was no normal protest. Everywhere I looked, there were hundreds of men and boys - and they were all dressed the same: in black clothing, wearing hoods, masks and balaclavas.

Why? Because it makes it nearly impossible to be identified by police.

I told our cameraman Shane Fennelly not to use his normal camera. It was far too dangerous to film openly. I had read the warnings on social media that no journalists were allowed, and no cameras.

“We don’t want to give the PSNI any evidence,” one poster said.

It was clear that this crowd had only one thing on their mind: violence.

And that’s exactly what I witnessed over the next few hours. Despite being at the heart of the disorder, Shane managed to capture footage on his iPhone.

One thing that struck me last night was the police response. I expected them to be out in force to equal the rioters. But there were hardly any officers in sight.

The mob moved from street to street, smashing up cars and setting them alight. It was unclear if these were targeted attacks.

On one occasion, a group of young men tried to flip a car over. Then an elderly man opened his door, shouting: “Please don’t! That’s mine!”

Somewhat bizarrely, the group immediately stopped and apologised profusely. I have never witnessed anything quite like it.

But like any riot devoid of police, the violence escalated.

The long snake of protestors, shrouded in black, began to light petrol bombs and started throwing them at the windows of homes. It was at this point I saw four riot vans race to the scene.

Instead of fleeing, the group turned on the vehicles. Wing mirrors ripped off, windows smashed.

The officers knew better than to leave the safety of their vans. Minutes later, they all reversed up the street.

Mission not accomplished.

But before one could exit, one of the rioters climbed up and sat on the roof as it aborted the area, raising his hands as the mob cheered and laughed.

A hundred yards up the road, the man fell off the roof and hit the floor hard.

Riot officers quickly got out, handcuffed the man, and got back in just as quickly.

It was the only arrest I saw. And it was some of the worst violence I have ever witnessed in two decades as a crime journalist.

During the troubles, Belfast was a place where riots, shootings and bombings were commonplace.

It has proudly changed into a city where people from different communities have learned to live alongside one another, and many of the people I spoke to last night said this is the worst disorder they have seen here for many years.

This is exactly what the Prime Minister didn’t want to happen. But, for some like Stephen Yaxley Lennon, AKA Tommy Robinson, this division is exactly what they were hoping for.

And no one knows how and when this will end.

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Andy Hughes is LBC's Crime Correspondent and Host of the podcast The Crime Agents.

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