Numerous videos of this week's violence and rioting in north Belfast have appeared on clip-sharing website You Tube and are being viewed thousands of times.

Many have been lifted from news reports but others would appear to have been recorded by amateurs.

In one, a rioter throws a petrol bomb before lowering his tracksuit bottoms and underwear in view of police officers. “Riot summer school,” comments one post, drily.

And as a police vehicle drives past firing water cannon, a rioter dressed in blue places himself in extreme dangers as he jumps on and off, narrowly missing being crushed under its wheels.

In a heated debate on the content of the videos, one user calls to another on the other side of the political divide, “go and wave a flag or something, love, because you sound like you are a few sausages short of an Ulster Fry to me”.

Another makes a pithy call to “reroute the flute”.

The practice of putting videos showing riots in Northern Ireland is nothing new.

A YouTube clip shows scenes of Northern Ireland life during the Troubles to a soundtrack of Kaiser Chiefs hit, I Predict a Riot.

And one compilation of riot clips dating from 1997 to 2005 has been viewed nearly 7,000 times.

“I’m Greek and this is awesome,” was one impressed comment.