Why are there troubles in northern ireland

By the late s, there was a feeling among the minority that they had been pushed into the margins of society and turned into second-class citizens. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement in America, the Catholics took to the streets to demonstrate against suppression and bad treatment. The marches got out of hand and there were intense and bitter clashes between radical elements from both sides.

In , the British government sent in troops to restore order on the streets of Northern Ireland, but the violence just escalated. The arrival of British troops angered the Republicans as they viewed the troops as another force sent in to keep them down. In , the political parties in Northern Ireland and the two governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom signed a peace treaty called the Belfast Agreement Good Friday Agreement which brought relative peace to the province.

But it turned out that the Agreement was difficult to implement and a renegotiated agreement was signed in It is often said that the conflict in Northern Ireland is religious, especially since most of the Catholic minority want to be reunited with Catholic Ireland and that most of the Protestant majority aspire to remain part of the mainly Protestant Britain.

However, the modern conflict, although containing religious arguments and terminology, is not primarily religious. It is rather about two different political identities seeking two different options with regard to constitutional belonging. Even though many Catholics are still unhappy about the situation, there is now much more equality in the region.

Moreover, there are many attempts to integrate the two traditions both in sports, education and even politics, something that will contribute to build a better future. Since , Northern Ireland has had a stable internal government Stormont where former enemies now cooperate to make sure that the province will avoid falling into the pitfalls of the past. Without a doubt, the most important desire for the future is peace, whether the province remains part of the Union or whether it is reunited with Ireland.

Thousands more were injured. Thousands were traumatized by violence. Thousands were sent to prison. However by the s there was recognition that violence would not deliver a solution to the conflict and that any effort to find a political answer would only succeed if republican and loyalist paramilitaries were given a voice at the negotiating table.

This period has seen the establishment of political negotiations, ceasefires by the main republican and loyalist paramilitary organizations and fundamental reform of aspects of our system of governance in order to command the respect and allegiance of all our citizens.

Reprinted as originally written. While there are no clear indications the unrest is being orchestrated by an organised group, the violence has been concentrated in areas where criminal gangs linked to loyalist paramilitaries have significant influence.

There is increasing evidence that senior figures in organisations such as the Ulster Defence Association and Ulster Volunteer Force are allowing the trouble to proceed. Analysts suggest loyalist paramilitaries of the South East Antrim UDA may have exploited an opportunity to kick back at the Police Service of Northern Ireland after a recent clampdown on criminality in the area around Carrickfergus.

The paramilitary group is involved in many forms of organised crime , doing "untold damage to the community and exerting fear in neighbourhoods", say police. Northern Ireland's children's commissioner said adults engaged in "criminal exploitation" of fighting youths "had to be held accountable".

Koulla Yiasouma said the violence involved "coercion by adults of vulnerable and at-risk children". Read more: 'A criminal cartel wrapped in a flag'. Unionist leaders have linked the violence to simmering loyalist tensions over the Irish Sea border imposed as a result of the UK-EU Brexit deal. The new trading border is the result of the Northern Ireland Protocol, introduced to avoid the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland.

It avoids the need for checks on the Irish border , as EU customs rules are enforced at Northern Ireland's ports instead. Unionists say it damages trade and threatens Northern Ireland's place in the UK. In January, graffiti opposing the Irish Sea border was daubed on walls in some loyalist areas, including parts of Bangor, Belfast, Glengormley, and the home of one of Northern Ireland's main ports, Larne.

These Brexit checks were temporarily suspended amid reported threats against port workers in Larne and Belfast - although the police later said there was no evidence of "credible threats". Under the grip of shadowy paramilitary groups, and finding themselves consistently outmanoeuvred politically by Irish nationalists, loyalists also feel let down by their own elected representatives, who along with almost all mainstream political figures have condemned the rioting while voicing many of the same concerns.

The death of Prince Philip on April 9 has almost entirely paused the violence for now, as the United Kingdom observes a period of national mourning. But summer in Northern Ireland is often a season of unrest, as loyalist and unionist marching bands traditionally parade through the streets.

Already there are concerns over what the next few weeks and months will bring, as younger loyalists itch to make their presence felt. Then you have the younger people who want to take a much more hardline approach. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Politics Covid U. News World Opinion Business.