STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: In Northern Ireland, the head of the Ulster Unionist Party, who is also head of a very fragile coalition government there says he will step down in less than two hours time, thrusting the region's peace process into uncertainty. David Trimble announced his plans to resign several weeks ago as a protest over the Irish Republican Army's refusal to disarm. Now, adding to the tension between Protestants and Catholics in Belfast, the start of the typically violent marching season. Reporter Mark Webster explains what that is.</s>MARK WEBSTER, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): Contentious at the outset, the path of this orange march</s>FRANCES MCAULEY, COMMUNITY LEADER: I think it's absolutely barbaric the way they have handled this here today. It's like a Vietnam operation, seriously. You can see that everything is on the nationalist side. It was actually an illegal barricade</s>WEBSTER: Across the divide there were cheers from local people as the IUC opened the security gates which normally separate the two communities. Then the Orangemen marched silently past police lines.</s>NIGEL DODDS, DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST: Everything seems to be going off smoothly. I hope that continues and that later on tonight when the parade is gone, that the local residents won't have to suffer sort of trouble or intimidation. I've asked for police to be here in numbers. But hopefully it won't come to any trouble.</s>WEBSTER: Carefully stewarded, nationalist protesters were repeatedly urged to show restraint. Though a few missiles were thrown at the police lines, it had looked as though it would pass off without -- until missiles were thrown from across the wall in the Protestant area. (on camera): Despite the fact that this demonstration has passed off relatively peacefully there are real fears about what will happen in the days to come, in particular, in the run up to the drum
Marching Season In Belfast Could Bring Violence