Belfast , Northern Ireland ( CNN ) -- Police clashed with hundreds of rioters in eastern Belfast on Tuesday in the second straight night of sectarian violence there . About 700 people had amassed in the streets Tuesday night , the Police Service of Northern Ireland said . Molotov cocktails , fireworks and bricks were being thrown , police said . Police fired water cannons on the crowd and asked the media to move away from the area . Two men suffered burns and one man was injured after shots were fired , police reported . Reporters retreated from the area after a newspaper photographer was shot in the leg . Sectarian rioting began late Monday in eastern Belfast , with leaders from both Catholic and Protestant communities reporting attacks on homes overnight . Police reported Molotov cocktails were being thrown as a large crowd gathered on the streets that separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in the area , a longstanding Northern Ireland flash point . Ambulance services reported two people injured early Tuesday , and reporters attempting to cover the disturbances were threatened . The Irish republican party Sinn Fein said up to 100 masked men raided Catholic-owned homes in the Short Strand neighborhood after allegations by unionist politicians that Protestant homes were attacked Sunday . Police had no information on any of Sunday 's reported attacks . Sinn Fein blamed the attacks on Catholics on members of the Ulster Volunteer Force , a loyalist paramilitary group that officially disarmed in 2009 . Police had no immediate comment on the assertion . After a long period of quiet in its ongoing `` Troubles '' between Catholics and Protestants , Northern Ireland has seen a resurgence of violence in recent months . Tensions also are typically elevated in early summer , when Protestant groups hold commemorative marches to celebrate the 17th century victory of England 's King William III over his Catholic predecessor , James II . `` We would appeal to anyone with any influence to continue to work with police to tackle these issues which are damaging for the whole community , '' Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said Tuesday in a statement . `` This is an issue that can not be addressed by police alone . ''
Rioters attack police with petrol bombs , fireworks and bricks , police respond . Police retreat from the area after a policeman is shot . Police also clashed with rioters in West Belfast itself . Northern Ireland has seen a resurgence of violence in recent months .