Loyalist protestors have disrupted a Catholic grave blessing ceremony in Newtownabbey at the weekend.

Hundreds of visitors to Carnmoney Cemetary were met by loyalist protestors who are initially believed to have held a silent protest before hurling "sectarian abuse" during a second protest later in the day.

The ceremony was delayed for a time but proceeded a short time later.

Parish priest Father Dan Whyte told the BBC that said people were "very upset" by the protests.

"I was disappointed when I learned that later there was a protest that degenerated into a noisy chorus of sectarian verbal assault," he said.

Sinn Fein Assembly member for North Belfast Gerry Kelly immediately called on unionist

politicians "to stand up and defend the right of Catholic people to remember their loved ones".

"Sunday's unionist protest at Carnmoney graveyard is unacceptable in any

society," Mr kelly said.

"Given the fact that this is not the first such protest and given the fact that those involved have publicly threatened to desecrate Catholic graves in the cemetery there is now an onus on unionist and loyalist politicians and community leaders to state very clearly on the record that Catholics have every right to remember their loved ones buried in this and

every other graveyard."

Last year, similar protests were held in the ceremony following widespread violence across Northern Ireland.

Carnmoney graveyard has also been attacked on several occasions in the past and headstones have been smashed.

(MB/SP)