Amanda Ferguson

described as peaceful protests in cool rain and at storm but it is sporadic and even though it's not as intense as it was the night before it's still deeply concerning and now questions are moving to possible paramilitary involvement and what people think of that or what they might know about that and you know the far right in England and in the US and very sort of public online characters sort of poking their nose in what's happening here and they may never have even

been to North Belfast or been to Mollusk before but seem to think that they know exactly everything that's going on.

We're expecting an update from police later this morning, but I do know from my own observations yesterday that the huge amount of disruption there was outwith the trauma of being targeted by people who want to cause you damage because of the colour of your skin.

That, you know, public transport was cancelled, schools were closed, businesses let the workers go home early.

Belfast was like a ghost town.

It looked like whenever shops used to throw the shutters up in the 90s and it became a ghost town after 6pm.

That was the

the vibe last night and I think most people are embarrassed and horrified by what's been happening and we've also had an overnight statement from the victim of the violent attack in North Belfast on Monday night, the family having to clarify social media posts and misinformation images and so on and while they're trying to focus on the recovery of their loved one, they're being forced to issue statements to clear up social media lives.

Not so far, but that doesn't mean that they won't at some point and perhaps they may materialise later into the evening.

But what I do know is I have been out and about Belfast since early this morning.

I've been up at streets that have had houses burnt out, vehicles were on fire outside people's homes and so on.

And I've been talking to people and they're just horrified and saddened and disgusted by what's happening.

Then I've been in court for the first hearing in the knife attack incident from Monday night that sparked a lot of these events.

And then I was at City Hall where the First Minister spoke to reporters and revealed that the Belfast Mayor has been told by police that she is under threat.

And then I watched as the city centre just emptied of people.

Buses stopped running in the city centre and the metro buses right at the heart of where City Hall would be.

People were having to get collected from outside City Hall.

And pupils in schools were let go early out of their schools in anticipation that there would be protests.

And people are just horrified and just piling out and getting behind closed doors.

And now I'm talking to you.