Video: Belfast riots: police injured as loyalists clash with officers during flag protests Mobs of youths draped in Union flags clashed with officers dressed in riot gear close to the city centre and several locations on the outskirts of Belfast. Cars were set alight and hundreds of people attending a Christmas function had to be evacuated. Six police officers were injured in clashes in the Ballysillan area in the north west of the city while two more were injured during violence in the city centre. The trouble flared after a week of protests by Loyalists over new restrictions on flying the union flag at Belfast city hall. The council voted to fly the flag only on designated days, sparking protests all over Northern Ireland.