Belfast riots: Who is to blame for anti-migrant violence?

It’s been just one week since we reported on riots in Southampton, which used the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak by a British, Sikh national, as a premise for race hate and violence. It is easy to hear echoes in Belfast today. But in Belfast, masked mobs chanting Rule Britannia echo more than the far-right or anti-migrant motive. It echoes a past many are terrified to return to. “The Troubles” were decades of violent sectarianism in Northern Ireland, during which thousands of mostly civilians are believed to have died. It was fought between the overwhelmingly Protestant unionists or loyalists - who wanted the province to remain part of the UK - and the overwhelmingly Catholic nationalists or republicans - who wanted the north to join a united Ireland. In 1998, the historic Good Friday Agreement seemed to signal an end to the worst of the violence. Yet in the city of Belfast, the conflict is far from buried. Over 20 miles of walls, fences, and gates still separate mostly Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods, like scars on the cityscape. It is against this backdrop today’s riots have broken out– for the third summer in a row. But just how relevant is it? Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fZh5SBxxMNYdg0VzRFkg/join Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at [email protected] Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye