Gasoline bombs were hurled by rioters and set a bus on fire in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday night, in violence that started last week.
Demonstrators threw the bombs and projectiles across both sides of a concrete “peace wall” separating parts of the community populated by unionist and nationalist supporters, according to police. Many pro-unionists reportedly feel betrayed by the British government amid the post-Brexit world, feeling the effects of new trade arrangements.
Police are investigating whether paramilitary organizations were behind the Wednesday night violence and are avoiding pointing fingers at any one group in particular.
IRISH PRIEST REFUSES TO PAY COVID FINE FOR HOLDING MASS: ‘THEY CAN PUT ME IN JAIL IF THEY WANT’
“The scale of the disorder last night was at a scale that we have not seen in recent years in Belfast or further afield,” Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Roberts told reporters, adding that authorities believe there was a “level of pre-planning.”
“We are very, very lucky no one was seriously injured or killed last night, given in particular the large number of petrol bombs thrown,” Roberts continued.
55 police officers have been injured in recent days as a result of the conflict, Chief Constable at the Police Service of Northern Ireland Simon Byrne announced via Twitter on Thursday.
“I thank the Officers and their families for their continued dedication & professionalism,” he said. “I again appeal for calm & ask that the street violence stop immediately.”
The violence comes amid growing frustration with a new policy formed after Brexit that has upset trade in the region. The United Kingdom officially left the European Union in January 2020, but on Jan. 1, 2021, the Northern Ireland Protocol came into effect.
Northern Ireland is still part of the U.K., while the Republic of Ireland, which occupies the southern part of the island, is part of the EU. Signed in 1998, the Good Friday agreement keeps the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland open without restrictions. Since Brexit took place, Great Britain is no longer following certain regulatory rules on goods that all of Ireland is still following.
Goods from Northern Ireland can flow on trucks down to the Republic of Ireland, but in order to keep that arrangement going, the Northern Ireland Protocol was put in place, making goods from Great Britain subject to inspection in Northern Ireland. That has created trade delays.
Walls of ports in Northern Ireland have reportedly been tagged with messages calling workers there “targets,” according to the Independent.
“We are seeing signals. There are signal incidents that have happened, particularly in recent days. We are starting to see graffiti, we are picking up social media sentiment of a growing discontent, particularly within the Protestant/loyalist/unionist community,” Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan warned in January, according to multiple news outlets. “That has not manifested itself in any outworkings at this point.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson took to Twitter on Wednesday to call for an end to the rioting.
“I am deeply concerned by the scenes of violence in Northern Ireland, especially attacks on PSNI who are protecting the public and businesses, attacks on a bus driver and the assault of a journalist,” he said. “The way to resolve differences is through dialogue, not violence or criminality.”
