Belfast residents awoke to scenes of destruction on Thursday after a night of rioting that saw vehicles torched and stones thrown at police. The UK Government has announced the deployment of additional security forces to Northern Ireland, citing a “serious deterioration” in public order.
The violence erupted in the loyalist Shankill Road area on Wednesday evening, with masked youths attacking police lines and setting fire to a bus. Police said they came under attack with petrol bombs and masonry, and that 12 officers were injured. A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson and riotous behaviour.
First Minister Paul Givan condemned the “thuggery” and said those responsible would face the full force of the law. Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired an emergency COBRA meeting on Thursday morning, after which the government authorised the deployment of 200 additional troops to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The unrest is the worst seen in Belfast for several years and has been linked to tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has created trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Loyalist groups have warned that the post-Brexit arrangements threaten the Union, and have withdrawn support for the Good Friday Agreement.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis said the government would “take whatever action is necessary to protect communities and uphold the rule of law”. The additional troops, he said, would provide “reassurance and resilience” while police investigate the violence.
Political leaders in the region have sought to de-escalate the situation. Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill called for calm, but also blamed the British government for creating “instability” through its handling of Brexit. The Alliance Party’s Naomi Long said the violence was “completely unjustified” and urged community leaders to prevent further disorder.
The European Commission expressed concern about the scenes, with a spokesperson saying the EU stood ready to work with the UK to find a “stable and predictable” solution to the protocol issues. Washington also weighed in, with the State Department urging all parties to “refrain from violence and engage in dialogue”.
Residents in Belfast’s interface areas remain wary. “We’ve been here before,” said one shopkeeper on the Shankill Road, surveying his boarded-up window. “But this feels different. The politics has poisoned everything.”
The additional security deployment is the largest since the ceasefire between loyalists and republicans in the late 1990s. Analysts say the protocol, which has been a source of grievance among Unionists, is unlikely to be renegotiated in the current political climate, raising the prospect of further instability. For now, the streets are quiet, but the underlying tensions have not abated.
