LOYALISTS could bring Northern Ireland to a standstill on one of the busiest days of the year, it has emerged .
Province-wide protests over flags are being planned to coincide with Friday's rush-hour when thousands of people will leave work for the Christmas holidays.
The United Protestant Voice, which has been organising many of the protests, has called for the demonstrations to be peaceful.
In a statement the group said: "We would encourage all members of the PUL (Protestant Ulster Loyalist) community taking part in Friday's nationwide protest to do so in a peaceful and dignified manner to ensure that we can portray the image of unionism/loyalism and gain support for the wider PUL community."
According to social media websites, protests will take place across Belfast including at Sandy Row in the south of the city where sporadic trouble broke out on Monday night.
Pickets are also being organised for Portadown, Co Armagh, Bangor and Co Down, Killyleagh, Co Down.
There has been widespread disorder across Northern Ireland since Belfast City councillors voted on December 3 to limit the number of days they fly the Union flag.
More than 40 police officers have been injured and more than 40 people arrested - some as young as 11 - in almost three weeks of disturbances.
The flag controversy has also sparked a wave of attacks against politicians with much of the violence directed at the cross-community Alliance Party.
Bullets were sent in the post today to five elected representatives from the Alliance Party and nationalist Sinn Fein - whose councillors backed the decision to remove the flag.
Roadblocks have blighted Belfast city centre trading in the run-up to Christmas.
Earlier on Wednesday unionist political leaders unveiled proposals they hoped would persuade loyalists to end their protests.
Stormont First Minister and Democratic Unionist leader Peter Robinson and Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt are to set up a Stormont forum to focus on the flag issue and other areas of concern within loyalism.
Representatives from within that community will be invited to attend and put their views across. The first meeting could be held before Christmas, but a more likely timetable would see proceedings convened early in the New Year.
The leaders of the main parties at Stormont are due to meet Thursday morning local time.
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