A campaign of rioting by nationalist youths in Co Antrim which involved petrol bombs and road blocks has subsided after they were advised against copying recent images of loyalist violence.
During the disturbances, up to 60 nationalist youths gathered near the Rathenraw estate and hurled petrol bombs, bricks and stones at police.
At one stage the Stiles Way road near the estate was closed for four hours after rioters set alight stolen wheelie bins and pushed them on to the middle of the road.
Two police cars were also damaged in the weekend disturbances.
It is believed the rioting started after police moved in to the area to clear underage drinkers who were throwing bricks onto traffic from a bridge over Stiles Way.
There were suggestions that some of the violence including petrol bomb attacks and road blocks were organised.
A 21-year-old man appeared in court on Saturday and three youths, aged 16, 17 and 18 were arrested and released on Sunday pending reports.
SDLP councillor Thomas Burns said that the rioting was inexcusable.
"There's absolutely no way police can tolerate people throwing blocks from bridges. There's absolutely and completely no excuse for stoning police," he said.
Although Mr Burns said that the riots began as a response to police dispersing a crowd of street drinkers, he believed it became "much more organised".
"The young ones themselves are only interested in drinking – they wouldn't be organised enough to get wheelie bins out," he said.
Rathenraw estate community worker Paddy Murray claimed the violence was borne out of young people feeling "frustration" after police moved them away from drinking in public places.
"There was no way this was orchestrated. If that was the case, there would have been vans and cars put across the road and not wheelie bins.
"I've been going around talking to kids and letting them know that they can't just do this sort of thing for the craic of it. They can't just do it because loyalists are doing it," he said.
A Sinn Féin spokesman said: "The destruction of people's property is wrong and we are totally opposed to it."
He also asked young nationalists "not to fall into the trap" of copying the recent images of loyalist violence.
Samuel Dunlop, DUP deputy mayor of Antrim, said that he did not think the crowd were from the Rathenraw estate.
"I reckon the 60 youths were imported. The majority of people living there are law-abiding citizens," he said.
"It doesn't achieve anything. I can't see any reason for it except maybe jumping on the back of what's been happening during the week," he said..
Ken Wilkinson, spokesman for the PUP, said that nationalist trouble makers should be clearly identified.
"Everyone has been bashing Protestants, both the police and media and this reeks of double standards," he said.
