North Ireland ‘celebrates’ 100th year anniversary
BELFAST: Two weeks before Northern Ireland’s 100th anniversary, black smoke from a burning roadblock billowed into the sky here, signalling the deep divisions overshadowing the province’s centenary landmark.
As hooded youths hurled masonry, weary riot police poured out of rusty armoured Land Rovers to form ranks.
All sides know their roles in this well-versed piece of street theatre, which provides the backdrop to the 100 years of the divided British province.
Scenes of unrest returned last month to the streets of Northern
Ireland, the former battleground of “The Troubles” where tempers are fraying over Brexit and other tectonic political shifts.
At least 88 officers have been injured in clashes emanating from pro-United Kingdom loyalist enclaves, angry with a post-Brexit “protocol” they feel is casting them adrift from mainland Britain.
“All generations are angry and frustrated at what’s going on,” said David McNarry, of the Loyalist Communities Council.
“This damn protocol is a European invention (to) take away my Britishness,” he said with a heavy trace of emotion in his voice.
Towering “peace walls” separate the communities, crisscrossing the city landscape, a reminder of the divisions that remain even after “The Troubles” ended in 1998.
The latest violence saw loyalist youths face off with police, who were preventing their advance towards a gate in the barrier. In the evening on April 19, teens covered their faces and scrambled for bricks and stones to throw.
Early in the evening, a switch pressed by an unseen hand slammed shut the gates in the
“peace walls”, completely sealing neighbourhoods off from each other.
The unrest paled in comparison to clashes earlier in the month, when water cannon and dog units waged a running battle with gangs throwing petrol bombs and fireworks.
Against this backdrop, it is hard to imagine a “happy birthday” for Northern Ireland. Unionists and nationalists fervently disagree about the legitimacy of the region, both contest its future, and both feel under siege.