Leaders from Britain and Northern Ireland on Thursday expressed concern over the growing unrest on the streets of Belfast and called for calm. The appeals came after hundreds of youths clashed with police forces on Wednesday night after hijacking a bus and setting it ablaze, resulting in levels of violence not seen in the region for decades.
“I condemn the violence and attacks on the police that we have witnessed over the last number of days in The North,” Taoiseach (or Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said in a statement. “The only way forward is to address issues of concern through peaceful and democratic means. This evening’s attacks on a journalist and bus driver are deeply concerning and are in no one’s interests,” he added. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “deeply concerned” about the scenes of violence, and that “the way to resolve differences is through dialogue, not violence or criminality.
Tensions have been mounting in Northern Ireland since the United Kingdom’s (UK) decision to leave the European Union (EU), with many loyalists chiding the new Brexit-mandated trading arrangements as a grave betrayal by London. The 1998 Good Friday peace accords paved the way for unionists and nationalists to coexist by blurring the status of the region and removing any border checks with the neighbouring EU state of Ireland. However, Britain’s decision to leave the bloc upset the delicate balance in the province, requiring the introduction of customs controls between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
London dispatched its Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis to Belfast on Thursday in an attempt to calm the situation. “I absolutely understand the challenges ... that people of the Unionist community have felt around the protocol” and other issues, Lewis told journalists after the talks. But “there is no legitimization or excuse to take to violence.” The past week has seen consistent attacks on police, petrol bombings, and rioting on the streets of Belfast and Derry. The violence has injured nearly 55 police officers and seen young boys being arrested on rioting charges.
Apart from Brexit-induced tensions, however, the unrest has also been attributed to the police service’s (PSNI) handling of Sinn Féin politicians who breached COVID-19 restrictions and attended a very large funeral of former IRA member Bobby Storey last year. More than 2,000 mourners had gathered at the event, which included Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill. However, no one was prosecuted.
Following Wednesday night’s violence, the Northern Ireland Executive met for an emergency meeting the next morning and issued a joint statement condemning the violence. “Destruction, violence, and the threat of violence are completely unacceptable and unjustifiable, no matter what concerns may exist in communities,” it said. “Those who would seek to use and abuse our children and young people to carry out these attacks have no place in our society. While our political positions are very different on many issues, we are all united in our support for law and order and we collectively state our support for policing and for the police officers who have been putting themselves in harm’s way to protect others.”
Leaders Call for Calm Amid Rising Unrest in Northern Ireland
The appeals came after hundreds of youths clashed with police forces on Wednesday night after hijacking a bus and setting it ablaze, resulting in levels of violence not seen in the region for decades.
April 9, 2021
SOURCE: THE IRISH TIMES