Brexit: Northern Ireland, riots among unionists and police. Bairner (Loughborough University), “scared of being left out of the United Kingdom”

“Brexit has had a major impact on the riots that broke out in Northern Ireland in the last few days, because some members of the unionist terrorist groups, who are against the idea of a united Ireland, realised that the prospect that this region might be separated from the United Kingdom and be part of the Republic of Ireland is getting more and more real, day by day. They were scared and decided to attack police”. This is how Alan Bairner, professor of sociology at Loughborough University and a great expert in Northern Ireland, where he has lived for twenty-five years, teaching politics at the University of Ulster, commented the episodes of violence that happened in Belfast and Derry in the last few days. Forty-one police officers have been seriously injured by supporters of the unionist terrorist groups who are against the idea of a united Ireland and who think that police turned a blind eye to Covid restrictions during the funeral of a member of the Republican movement last summer. “It is police officers that have been attacked this time instead of members of the Catholic community, because today police represent everyone. The fear that the protocol agreed between the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the EU, may bring this region out of the United Kingdom is getting stronger and stronger among Protestants”, the expert goes on explaining. “Unfortunately, I am pessimistic about the future. I don’t think that summoning the Parliament of Northern Ireland tomorrow may be of much use”.
Valentina Bombelli