BELFAST, Northern Ireland, March 1 (UPI) -- A veteran loyalist activist was charged Thursday with offenses during the large protests in Northern Ireland over the British flag, police said.
Willie Frazier, 52, was scheduled to appear Friday before a magistrate in Belfast on charges that include participating in unpermitted demonstrations, UTV reported. He was arrested Wednesday.
Jamie Bryson, 23, spokesman for the Ulster People's Forum, was taken into custody Thursday, UTV said.
Large and often violent protests began in early December when the Belfast City Council voted to limit the number of days the British flag flies at City Hall. The sectarian violence, which included attacks on Catholic churches, threatened a return to the era before the Good Friday Agreement.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland launched Operation Dulcet, targeting organizers and people involved in attacks on officers and property.
Also Thursday, two men suspected of being dissident republicans were arrested during a security alert in Larne, UTV reported. There was an explosion in the area Wednesday.
