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By: Diane Sun
Northern Ireland is facing the greatest unrest to rock the nation in 74 years. With violent riots erupting in April of this year, where rioters hurled gasoline bombs and bricks at police, who responded with water cannons. Youth protestors have hijacked cars, set a bus on fire, and injured nearly 90 police officers. The violent conflict threatens to resurface the Troubles, a possibility that greatly concerns both British and Irish leaders.
What were the Troubles?
The Troubles, also known as the Northern Ireland conflict, was a period of violent sectarian conflict from 1968 to 1998, between Protestant unionists and Catholic Nationalists. While Protestant unionists wished for Northern Ireland to remain a part of the UK, Catholic Nationalists advocated for reunification with the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is composed of six out of nine counties of the Irish region of Ulster, which as a result of the Ulster Plantation in the early 17th-century developed to be composed mostly of Protestant settlers who outnumbered the indigenous Catholic Irish. These settlers didn’t assimilate, holding tightly to their British identity and remaining loyal to the Crown.
The conflict began in the 1960s as a civil rights movement -- the Catholics protested discrimination from Northern Ireland’s Protestant government but eventually devolved into violence as paramilitary groups began to get involved. Characterized by street fighting, sniper attacks, and bombings, 3,600 people were killed in the Troubles and 30,000 injured before the Good Friday Agreement was reached.
What is the Good Friday Agreement?
The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was reached on April 10, 1998, after two years of discussion. It was a power-sharing agreement between the unionists and nationalists, creating the Northern Ireland Assembly, as well as several other institutions to balance the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain. The Good Friday Agreement was voted upon in a referendum, with 94% of voters in the Republic of Ireland approving and 71% of voters in Northern Ireland approving.
How has Brexit affected tensions?
Britain’s exit from the European Union greatly complicated the Northern Ireland problem, as the Republic of Ireland remained an EU member. Boris Johnson’s government instituted the Northern Ireland protocol, to avoid a hard land border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland protocol ensured that while Northern Ireland no longer was a part of the EU customs union, goods flowing between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would not have to be checked, rather trade flows between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK would be subject to checks at the ports of Northern Ireland.
This means Northern Ireland, but not the rest of the UK, will still be subject to many of the EU single market regulations, and a new border between Northern Ireland and the UK has effectively been created in the Irish Sea. This has inflamed unionists, who think this damages trade and threatens Northern Ireland’s place in the UK, leading to the recent unrest.
As tensions continue to heighten and threaten to devolve into further violence in Northern Ireland, officials must take care to ensure there won’t be a repeat of the Troubles.
Discussion Questions:
What steps should Britain take to quell tensions in Northern Ireland?
Is Irish reunification possible?
How will the Irish Sea border affect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK?
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