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By Staff, Agencies London is pondering the idea of holding intergovernmental talks with Dublin and discussing how tension in Northern Ireland can be dealt with, the Times reported. According to the report, the Republic of Ireland is willing to hold a conference on the issue in Northern Ireland but Downing Street has its concerns that the move would only infuriate unionists and cause even more clashes in the country, which has been hit by violence in recent weeks.

Boris Johnson is also reportedly mulling the possibility of travelling to Northern Ireland, but the visit is not expected to take place until at least 17 April, when the national mourning over Prince Philip’s death ends.  On Friday, 14 police officers were injured and a stolen car was set on fire during rioting in Belfast that led to arrest of three boys aged 14.

Several days before, a group of protesters hijacked a double-decker bus and set it on fire in the country’s capital over growing dissatisfaction among unionists with checks and restrictions imposed by the Brexit agreement in the Irish Sea and Belfast’s failure to punish opposition Sinn Fein politicians for attending a mass funeral in violation of COVID restrictions.

Overall, over 80 police officers have suffered injuries from thrown bricks and petrol bombs in the past weeks following the escalation of sectarian violence across the country involving both loyalists and nationalists.

Some children involved in the clashes are said to be as young as 12 years old

Original Article Source: Al Ahed News | Published on Monday, 12 April 2021 12:27 (about 1082 days ago)