DN LEADER: Brexit tears wounds in Northern Ireland

Cars were burned as stones were paved and other projectiles were thrown at the police. Dozens were wounded. Riots have continued in Belfast and other cities in Northern Ireland for a week now, despite calls for calm. Bored and criminal youth are part of the dangerous mix. Undoubtedly, Brexit is the dominant factor.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson He must be aware of the risks. Instead, pretend the sun always shines on the Irish island.

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 ended three decades of bloody violence between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. It also abolished the apparent borders with the republic in the south. No one mourned the barbed wire. Economic ties flourished.

From the start, it was clear that Northern Ireland would be the worst stumbling block for Britain and the European Union.

The British referendum on membership of the European Union put an end to everything. The London government quickly decided to leave both the single market and the customs union. Hence, a new frontier – with the European Union – should emerge somewhere. But nobody wants a hard comeback between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

After sometimes messy negotiations The result was a “protocol” in the exit agreement, which means that Northern Ireland will remain virtually in the economic arms of the European Union. Instead, the border, with food inspections and customs controls, ended up on the Irish Sea. Boris Johnson assured him not to worry and tried to fool himself about the paragraphs. Without success.

In the referendum, 56% of Northern Irish people said “yes” to the European Union. On the other hand, the major Protestant party, the Democratic Unionist Party, supported Brexit. But the new arrangement, in the eyes of the Unionists, posed a threat to the historical bond with Britain, which was the basis of their existence. The demand is to tear up the “protocol,” something the European Union cannot agree to.

Brexit is gaining momentum The type of Northern Ireland defined for identity politics. Long-term Unionists see the terrifying vision of a united Ireland ruled by Dublin. Sinn Fein, the dominant Catholic party, rubbed his hands and Hoping for another referendum To fulfill their old dream of integrating into the republic.

Paramilitary perpetrators on both sides triggered the fighting more than 20 years ago. Now some of them stand and cheer stone throwers in Belfast.

From the start, it was really clear that Northern Ireland would be the worst stumbling block for Britain and the European Union. There is no solution that can make everyone completely happy.

This was always a risk With Britain’s exit from the European Union. Withdrawal from the European Union has its origins in English nationalism, espoused by fanatics but sponsored by Boris Johnson and other indifferent representatives of the Conservative Party. Neither the healthy economy nor the worry about the British Union were included in their calculations.

In Scotland, where a large majority also wanted to remain in the European Union, separatists used Brexit as an excuse to break away from London. Independence is everything, it costs what he wants.

In Northern Ireland, depressed moods can be even worse. Unionists are angry about the exit agreement and the British government who will be their bodyguard. The ultra-nationalists, intended here by the reunification campaigners with Ireland, are rhymes with their rhymes. May 3 is the centenary of the division of the island. And this summer, provocative rallies of Protestants await.

Reconciliation was not an automatic result From the Good Friday convention. But today’s angry political tone is not matched by a popular desire to return to violence and terror. Northern Ireland leaders must try to put out the fire. And Boris Johnson was helped one time.