Strife in Northern Ireland

Strife in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has been a place of turmoil ever since the late 1920's, as Ireland faced a huge split between transplanted (Anglican) British nationalists, and Catholic Republicans. When England controled what is now the republic of Ireland, Republican views of a Republic of Ireland, separate from from the British empire were viewed as extreme dissent, and were persecuted. Now, reunification of Ireland to Britain, through Northern Ireland (still considered part of Great Britain) is still a concept explored by the Protestant minority. Recently, the Catholic majority in Belfast's city council voted to not fly the British Union Flag over the town offices except in cases of major observance, like the birthday of a member of the royal family. The Protestant British supporters living in the town then formed a protest outside of these offices, claiming that the council was even further distancing them from Great Britain, which later dissolved into a full-out riot against the police. Members of the Catholic Republican party have received death threats, and the situation continues to escalate.

Coming from an Irish family, I've heard many a tale of the injustice that Great Britain wreaked on Ireland during the occupation, and the current struggle between Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. Straying too close to the border as an Irish person can often be dangerous: some militant groups in Northern Ireland take potshots across the border. As the article says, some people believe that these already tense protests have been aggravated by extremist groups, not helping the situation. Has anyone heard news like this? This may have been a bit dated, as situations like these would have originated in ex-British colonies, but what do you believe the outcomes of these protests will be? Possibilities could range from anarchy to crack-downs within Northern Ireland... Which do you believe will be the most possible?

(Images courtesy of the BBC, RTÉ)