On 6 April, protesters in pro-British neighbourhoods wore British flags and again unfurled signs to repeal the Northern Ireland Protocol.
This series of riots began in the city of Londonderry in northwestern Northern Ireland. On the evening of March 29, 2021, about 40 people, the youngest of whom was only 12 years old, armed with wooden planks and iron rods, clamored, protested, and even threw petrol bombs at police cars to maintain order.
Demonstrations in Northern Ireland continued to heat up – people threw petrol bombs, stones and fireworks at police, injuring 19 police officers on the night of April 8 alone.
Violent youth on the streets of Belfast blow up police cars with fireworks on 8 April
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Where did the riots come from? Start with Brexit
These people belonged to the pro-British unity faction and wanted Northern Ireland to continue to belong to Britain. The United Kingdom officially left the EU in 2020, but due to the special nature of Northern Ireland (which belongs to the Autonomous Region of the United Kingdom, but borders ireland, a member of the European Union, and has deep historical roots), the United Kingdom and the European Union signed the Northern Ireland Border Management Mechanism (Northern Ireland Protocol), allowing Northern Ireland to maintain the European Common Market and maintain the opening of the border with Ireland.
However, this also means that goods delivered from the UK to Northern Ireland must comply with EU import regulations and be audited; there is no procedure required between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and logistics can be unimpeded. The pro-British unity faction believed that such differences and particularities would threaten and further encroach on Northern Ireland's position in britain.
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The conflict has intensified, and the "peace wall" has also suffered
In the aftermath of the March 29 incident in Londonderry, demonstrations blossomed: protesters in major cities such as Belfast, Carrickfergus, Ballymena and Newtownabbey – mostly young unityists who lit trash cans and threw petrol bombs, stones and fireworks at police.
On 8 April, unrest had spread to some independent communities, and nationalist youth joined the violence
On the evening of 7 April, tensions escalated further. Belfast's famous attraction, the "Peace Wall", which originally served as a separate island for unityists and Catholic nationalists who wanted Ireland to complete reunification, became the first line of conflict between the two sides.
The British government began building a "peace wall" at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland in 1974 in an attempt to separate Northern Ireland from Ireland
The area around Shankill Road and Sprinfield Road around the Peace Wall divides the british unity and nationalist settlements and communities, and is seen as separating the political boundaries between the two sides. However, the breach of the gate by the wall, which was supposed to separate the two sides, led to hours of chaos: journalists and police were targeted by the mob; the people hijacked and burned a double-decker bus, nearly killing the driver. Police and politicians called it "the worst insurrection in more than a decade." ”
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Recall the fear of 30 years of factional conflict
In an interview with the Irish Broadcasting Corporation (RTE), Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the disputes would be better halted before they killed or seriously injured people: "We haven't seen this in Northern Ireland for a long time. Many people believe that these things exist only in history. ”
Irish independence
The so-called history refers to the violent factional struggles of the 1960s and 1990s, when the British Unification faction considered Northern Ireland to be an inalienable part of British territory, while the nationalists supported the reunification of Ireland and sought to return Northern Ireland to Ireland.
Northern Ireland Location Map
In the early 1960s, the Protestant British Unity had a numerical superiority, controlling parliament and suppressing a relatively small number of Catholic nationalists. With the rise of the civil rights movement in the late 1960s, as conflicts between the two sides intensified and communal violence erupted, britain had to send police and troops to quell riots between cities. Riots such as assassinations and bomb attacks killed more than 3,500 people, Members of the British police and paramilitary groups.
The 30-year struggle finally came to an end after three years of talks between Ireland, Northern Ireland (including parties of different factions) and Britain. On 10 April 1998, the three parties reached an agreement to sign the Good Friday Agreement (also known as the Belfast Agreement).
The Good Friday Agreement has three main administrative processes: first, the establishment of a Northern Ireland Parliament, with elected members responsible for local self-government affairs; second, cross-border cooperation and consultation between Northern Ireland and Ireland on a series of related issues; and third, urging the United Kingdom and Ireland to continue consultations on this issue.
Ireland and Northern Ireland held a referendum on 22 May of that year, establishing Northern Ireland's highly autonomous status in the UK. Although the results show that a majority of the population supports the agreement (91 per cent of the Irish and 74 per cent of the people of Northern Ireland voted in favour), there is still considerable disagreement between the Unity and the Democrats (96 per cent of democrats agree, but only 52 per cent of the E-Democrats agree).
Recent surveys
Just because it's been done doesn't mean things are going well from now on. Just four months later, a branch of the IRA launched a bomb attack in Omagh, Northern Ireland, killing 29 people. Pulling the timeline back to the present, the old hatred between the two factions, coupled with the new enmity that comes with Brexit, once again provokes sensitive nerves on both sides.
Anglo-Irish border
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Behind the scenes in a volatile situation?
Although there is currently no direct evidence, almost all acts of violence have occurred in areas where criminal groups (and unityists are closely related) have considerable influence. Moreover, there are growing signs that high-ranking cadres from pro-British paramilitary groups such as the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force are fueling the chaos.
Police said the groups were linked to organized crime of all kinds and described them as "causing indescribable damage to communities and deeply planting fear in neighbourhoods." ”
Some Unification leaders claimed that the series of demonstrations was due to the Northern Irish government's failure to punish The Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein violated epidemic regulations and held a public funeral on behalf of former IRA Intelligence Chief Bobby Storey. About 2,000 people attended Bobby Story's funeral, including Deputy Chief Minister Michelle. Michelle O'Neill. However, under the epidemic prevention regulations at that time, the number of participants in public activities should be strictly controlled.
Michelle has been criticized for failing to comply with epidemic prevention regulations, and the Criminal Prosecution Service has said it will not pursue the case. However, in the summer of the same year, the marching party scheduled by the unification faction was cancelled due to the epidemic. The move has caused resentment among many that the government is clearly double standards.
Last June, Bobby Story's funeral seriously violated local epidemic prevention and control regulations and became the scene of a large gathering of Sinn Fein and independents.
Northern Ireland's Chief Minister and Leader of the Democratic Union Party Arlene Arlene Foster claimed she did not hold this in mind and demanded that Northern Ireland Police Chief Superintendent Simon Byrne resign to take responsibility for the "loss of leadership authority". Chief Superintendent Born said he recognized the anger in the public but declined to submit his resignation: "I would like to start a conversation with anyone who wants to work together to solve problems in the community." ”
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Britain expressed "deep concern" and the United States called on all parties to abide by the agreement
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also expressed "deep concern" about the clashes, particularly against police, bus drivers and even journalists. "The way to resolve differences must rely on dialogue, not violence or crime," he said on the evening of April 7. ”
Both U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress have warned Johnson that Brexit must be avoided from impacting the peace situation in Northern Ireland. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called on both sides to be calm on April 8: "The United States remains a staunch supporter of Northern Ireland, and wants Northern Ireland to remain secure and prosperous, and that all communities can freely express their views and share the hard-won fruits of peace." She also said that the United States is pleased to see that all parties continue to abide by the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Northern Ireland Border Management Mechanism, believing that they will contribute to the stabilization of the Belfast Agreement.
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The causes are complex, and conflicts are hardly visible
Despite calls from politicians on all sides for restraint of violence and urging for communication, the causes of the conflict are complex and do not seem to be immediately resolved. The leader of the Alliance Party said the riots were caused not only by factional clashes, but also by a sense of betrayal caused by Brexit and dissatisfaction with police double standards: "Everything was mixed together and became a vicious mess of smorgasbord." ”
Some local Belfast journalists pointed out that many of the participating teenagers took to the streets because they were bored, angry and felt that they had been deprived of their rights, and hitched a ride on the riots, forming the so-called "pastime riots".
The coordinator of the local women's center noted: "How much can you tolerate when you think your identity has been taken away?" But she also said: "Taking to the streets [rioting] is not the solution to the problem." The Belfast Accords of 23 years ago gave us the light of day. ”