April 8th – On the evening of the 7th local time, Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, broke out again. Demonstrators made a scene in the streets, not only looting buses and setting fire to them, but also throwing stones and petrol bombs at the police, injuring more than 40 police officers and attacking a photographer. Recently, nine demonstrators have been arrested, including a 13-year-old boy.
According to Reuters and Sky News, British Prime Minister Johnson spoke late that night and tweeted that he was “deeply concerned” about the situation in Northern Ireland. He said: “The resolution of differences should be through dialogue, not violence or criminal behavior.”
After Brexit, new trade barriers appeared between Northern Ireland and the British mainland, which triggered strong protests from pro-British people in Northern Ireland.
In addition, the decision of the police on the 2nd not to prosecute the leader of Sinn Féin, an Irish nationalist party suspected of violating epidemic prevention regulations, also led to further tension.
On the 7th, dozens of pro-British demonstrators took to the streets and confronted hundreds of pro-Irish demonstrators, throwing Molotov cocktails at each other. The police arrived at the scene later and were also targeted.
