A motion condemning the loyalist violence, which has ripped across the city over the past month, was carried at Belfast City Council this week despite heated unionist opposition.
The motion, proposed by Alliance Councillor Mervyn Jones, called on council to "Condemn the wanton and widespread damage caused to the city of Belfast and its citizens over the past months. This Council also calls on all elected representatives to disassociate themselves from such violence and to support the PSNI in their efforts to restore and maintain law and order throughout the city."
In his speech, Cllr Jones also condemned the actions of the Orange Order and unionist politicians for their part in instigating the violence that convulsed the city following the Parades Commission's decision to re-route the controversial Whiterock Orange parade.
In a series of angry exchanges with the SDLP, Sinn Féin and Alliance, unionists across the board denied that the Orange Order or local politicians had been responsible for "stirring" violence in loyalist areas and laid the blame firmly with the PSNI.
Ulster Unionist Jim Rodgers, one of seven unionists to recently walk out of the District Policing Partnership Board (DPP), and who last week told the South Belfast News that he regarded members of the PSNI as "scum", defended his position.
"I have been one of the strongest supporters of the police in the past," he said.
"I have always assisted them when they needed to be defended but for some time now my confidence has been on the wane. The DPP is not working and we do not have good policing."
Cllr Rodgers described the PSNI as "manipulating" and claimed that he had been personally harassed by police officers over the past few weeks.
"I was driving past a PSNI checkpoint and one of the officers looked at me and said 'Rodgers you Orange b******'. Nobody speaks to me like that."
The Ulster Unionist also accused an SDLP councillor of hypocrisy for berating his use of inflamatory language and defended his right to describe police officers as "scum".
"Alban Maginess as Lord Mayor had a very, very hard time defending the RUC. Now he and his colleagues are attacking me for using strong language against the police. I regret having to call some police officers scum, but I stand by it."
DUP Laganbank Councillor Christopher Stalford said that he was "proud to be an Orangeman" and again laid the blame for last month's orgy of violence at the feet of the PSNI.
"We will take no lessons from the Alliance Party who just a few years back supported the cultural fascism of Irish republicanism by voting for Alex Maskey as Mayor."
Lashing out at Sinn Féin and the decision to re-route last month's controversial Whiterock Parade, Cllr Stalford added: "For a republican movement that claims to want cultural diversity, it is very quick to try and suppress our own cultural expression. Being lectured on law and order by the party opposite is like being lectured by King Herod on childcare."
Balmoral DUP woman Ruth Patterson said that she condemned all violence but added that people had been "suffering on the streets" at the hands of the PSNI.
Attempting to explain the destruction by loyalists of their own communities she said, "There is a hurt in the unionist/protestant/loyalist community because of concession after concession after concession to Sinn Féin/ IRA.
"I want the PSNI to serve the whole community, but when the RUC lost its name, it also lost its respect for the community which it was supposed to serve."
An amendment made by unionists condemning all violence that had occurred over September was defeated and the motion itself was overwhelmingly carried, with, surpisingly, many DUP councillors voting for it.
After the council meeting, the SDLP's Bernie Kelly said she was disappointed by the level of sectarianism displayed by the Unionist benches.
"It was just blatant sectarian posturing, really. They all had something to say on the matter and it was very unpleasant to see.
"And then quite a few of them appeared to support the motion in the end.
"That was very strange and I don't know what they were thinking, although I am glad that it was carried," she said.
