St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day has become a celebration of all things Irish, and 17 March is greeted with jubilation around the world. There's been a huge amount of effort put into making all St. Patrick's Day celebrations non-sectarian, but still it is a day that is not really popular among Ulster's Protestants. However, this hasn't stopped the city from organizing a parade down Royal Avenue, Belfast's central street, every year. The parade went very well, everyone seemed to have fun, but it was the events after the parade that show that Belfast's sectarian divide still hasn't totally disappeared.

St. Patrick's Day Parade on Royal Avenue 

Right out in front of city hall a group of protesters-the Loyal People's Protest group-started to gather. While St. Patrick's Day might be a celebration of everything Irish, they wanted to remind all Ulstermen that Northern Ireland stands with the United Kingdom, and not the Republic of Ireland. Some P.S.N.I officers were on the scene, to make sure the protest didn't grow into something dangerous. Almost as soon as the Loyal People's Protest put up their first Union Flag, youths draped in Irish tricolours began to gather on the opposite side of the street.

 Unionist Demonstrators at City Hall

Republican Counter Demonstration

 Within minutes the small group of youths had transformed into a large crowd, and a fairly tense standoff began. More P.S.N.I officers arrived, forming a bright neon yellow line in front of the Republicans to make sure that the two groups didn't come into contact with each other. However several kids, probably no older than eleven or twelve, sneaked passed the police line and walked right in front of the Unionists-taunting them with Irish tricolours. The P.S.N.I quickly hurried that kids along.

As I mingled among the Republican congregation, I flagged down a young Republican who was willing to speak to me about the situation. In this recording you can hear the background noise of the protest, and I'm very happy to be able to provide a first hand statement by someone who was involved.

Protest Interview

I tried to speak to the Unionists after I finished this interview, but they were not interested in talking to me. 

 Police Line in Front of Republican Demonstrators 

 Tricolours in Front of City Hall

Tricolours in Front of City Hall

Tensions were beginning to mount, every once in a while one of the groups would start shouting and cursing-until a police officer would come over and reprimand them-while the other side watched on. Some teenagers in the Republican crowd started to set off green smoke bombs, and the whole Republican line became engulfed in a wispy green cloud. The P.S.N.I just watched on, it seems that over the years they have learned that unless a crowd is getting violent it's best not to intervene.

 Smoke Bombs at City Hall

Second Smoke Bomb Goes Off

 The tension seemed to be dissipating, when suddenly a red flare streaked across the sky, right over the top of a P.S.N.I armoured jeep, and landed right in the centre of the Unionist protest group. The startled Unionsists began cursing and jeering at their Republican adversaries. The situation was taking a turn for the worse, and the P.S.N.I moved in to restore order. Officers grabbed the two boys who threw the flare, and dragged them into the back of a police van. The Republican line collapsed and began to retreat away from the city hall. As the Republicans sang rebel songs, and chanted "I.R.A", police land rovers started to arrive in front of city hall, and police officers in armour formed a line and began to walk the Republicans down Royal Avenue.

Republican Retreat to the Intersection

The Republicans moved back in an orderly manner, and while occasionally a group of teens would form a circle and chant pro-I.R.A slogans; the entire group, which now must have numbered in the hundreds, had moved back at least 200 metres from the Unionists. The Republicans occupied an intersection just North of the city centre, and all roads leading to it were quickly blocked off by armoured land rovers and P.S.N.I officers.

 Republicans Now Occupy the Intersection

Hundreds Have Gathered in the Intersection

The police line held, and the boys in blue stopped anyone draped in a tricolour from moving through the line towards the Unionists, but let anyone who wasn't in anything overtly sectarian move through freely. The situation was still tense: kids no more than ten years old were using green spray cans to write I.R.A on their tricolours, and at one point a bottle flew threw the air and slammed onto the bonnet of the lead police land rover.

 Police Block the Way to City Hall

 Behind the Police Line

 Youths Taunt the Police with Tricolours

 Youth with IRA Tricolour

Police Stop Sectarian Symbols from Moving Through

Line of Armoured Cars in Front of City Hall

However, in time the mood changed from a sectarian protest to just another Irish St. Patrick's Day party, and even though a lot of the boys had I.R.A written in green ink on their cheeks they now seemed more interested in impressing the girls than in standing up to British rule. People stopped singing sectarian songs, and everybody seemed to want to pose for photos.

 Youths Pose for Photographs

 Youths Pose for Photographs

 Youths Pose for Photographs

The Party Starts to Die Down

This went on for quite some time, around two to three hours, until the police land rovers started slowly inching their way backwards. During that time police officers had managed to infiltrate the crowd and clear up the roads, so they could drive their jeeps through the intersection every now and then. As they started to leave the cleaning crews showed up, and began to try to clean up the whole intersection. It was at this moment that I decided it was time to leave. As I passed through the police line and back towards city hall, I noticed that a group of Republican protesters had been allowed to have a counter demonstration back where the original Republican crowd had gathered.

Protesters Remain in Front of City Hall

For all the effort put into trying to remove the sectarian implications of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations, it's clear that it'll take years for this celebration to become something that everyone in both the Republican and the Unionist communities can cherish.

I actually managed to take about five minutes of video footage of the events, so if you'd like to see it click the link below. I must warn you though, there is foul language.

St. Patrick's Day Video

This weekend is going to see some major celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, and I intend to keep you all up to date with the events of the celebrations.

Until next week!

-Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn

Hearing from the Locals

Two days after I went up the Falls for the first time, on Monday, I went back, to try to get some local insight on the Republican movement. The atmosphere was totally different to how it had been on Saturday; the sunny, light blue skies had been replaced with a dark and foreboding grey, and there was the constant drizzle of rain. I was actually pretty nervous going up there, I didn't have a plan on who I was going to interview, but knew that I desperately needed to hear the Republican side of the story, and soon. Unlike before, the Falls was dead on Monday, I only saw two or three people on the street while heading up, and there certainly weren't any protesters out this time. I had to get some contacts, so I ducked into the old Victorian library to see if the librarian knew anybody who'd be willing to talk to me. Fortunately for me the head librarian was very friendly, and gave me a list of four names and phone numbers to check out. She also recommended that I go into the Sinn Fein office next door and see what they had to say. I walked into the receptionists office, and was greeted by a large jovial man who introduced himself as Robert.

Robert was all too happy to talk to me, and even beat me to it and asked me if I wanted to record our interview! Of course I said yes, and he led me to his office down the hall. We sat down in the small, cramped room; he gave me the impression of a very busy man, the noticeboard behind him was almost totally obscured by the multitude of papers pinned to it, and all over the floor were boxes of fliers for Republican events. At first he was interested in knowing why someone from across the world would come into his office just out of the blue, so I told him about my project and about my personal interest in Northern Ireland. However, I was supposed to be the one asking the questions. I had written up a handful, in fact only nine, in my little notebook I had bought from Tesco just a few days before, and now was the time to finally hear from the other side of Ulster's divided society.

 I started by asking about Sinn Fein: Do they consider themselves a socialist party? Do they still have a commitment to the ideals of a united 32 county Republic of Ireland? Have they reached out to the Protestant Community at all? Robert responded with a rousing "yes" to all three. Sinn Fein is still dedicated to its socialist ideals, and Robert believes that we will see a united Ireland within the next two decades. Robert also really went into detail telling me about the ways that Sinn Fein has reached out to the Protestants. He says that Sinn Fein is trying to "think past religion and think more of class." Robert also says that both he and Sinn Fein want the peace lines to come down, but tells me that the people who live on the wall still live in fear of attacks, and have actually asked for the walls to be built higher! However, he believes that modern social media will bring the youth in the Protestant and Catholic communities together, and act as a way over the physical barrier that separates them.

 Now I asked Robert about the dissidents, and the answer I got shocked me. Robert claims to be personal friends with most of the dissident Republicans, including the man who planted the bomb under the prison officers car recently! An ex- I.R.A man himself, Robert was arrested at the age of 18 for an attempted bombing and served twelve years in the British army's high security prison, know as the H-Block. During his militant past he made friends with many of the men who currently fight against the reformed government of the region, but Robert assures me that 90-95 percent of Republicans believe in the peace process, and that those still adamant about leading an armed struggle are a very small minority.

Finally, I wanted to know Robert's opinions on the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Robert was brutally honest with me, stating that the P.S.N.I's predecessor, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, participated in a British "counterinsurgency campaign" against the Republicans during The Troubles, and worked with Loyalist "death squads" to sow terror on the streets of Catholic neighbourhoods. The most shocking thing about this all is Robert's claims that the officers in charge of the campaign have worked their way up the ranks of the Police Service, and now hold high ranking positions in the P.S.N.I. Robert tells me that while he stands behind Northern Ireland's police service, investigations into the actions of many of its members need to be launched.

I thanked Robert for his time, and as I left he handed me a handful of fliers, in both English and Gaelic, promoting Republican events and giving me more information about Sinn Fein. He told me that if I ever wanted any follow up questions I should just send him an email. Our interview went on much longer than I expected, and I'm very happy that he was willing to spend his time giving me such a good insight into the policies of Sinn Fein, and the attitude of the Catholic community.

If you'd like to listen to the whole interview, which I highly recommend as he goes into much more detail than I can in my writing, I've attached a link below.

Robert Interview

Of course Robert isn't the only person I managed to interview, and I have talked to three members of the Protestant community over the last few weeks. All three have either served in, or have a close relative who served in the British Army. Seeing as I asked all three the same questions, I will summarize all three in the same text block. However, each of them gave me their unique personal opinions, and I highly recommend that you listen to them (they're all much shorter than Robert's, so don't worry that they'll be too long).

I asked them just some basic questions: How successful do they think the peace process has been? Have all the paramilitaries disarmed? Do they believe that Sinn Fein's claim that the I.R.A doesn't exist anymore? Is the police impartial? and will the peace last? All of them gave me similar answers: The peace process has been successful to an extent, the paramilitaries continue to hold onto some of their arms, the I.R.A still exists, the police were impartial, and the peace will last but the tension will always remain.

All stated that they don't have any negative feelings towards the Catholic community, and one man, a former police man and member of the Ulster Defence Regiment of the British Army actually told me his theory about how schools are dividing the country. He says that when he was a child in a mixed neighbourhood, Catholic kids and Protestant kids played together and saw no differences that divided them. However, when they went off to secondary school they were split up, Catholics going to Catholic schools, and Protestants going to state schools. In the schools the idea of a separation between Protestants and Catholics develops in the minds of the students, and a sort of "us and them" mentality is created. Even today very few of Northern Ireland's schools are integrated. I asked Robert about this, and he said that he believes only around 10% of Belfast parents support the idea of integrated schools.

Unfortunately, I was later asked to remove the three interviews over concerns for their personal safety.

Later this week I'll be posting a blog post about the exciting events over St. Patrick's Day. Here's a sneak peak of that post.

Until then!

-Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn

Going Up the Falls

The Falls Road has become iconic of the turmoil that tore Northern Ireland apart in the latter half of the Twentieth Century. A staunchly catholic neighbourhood in West Belfast, the Falls witnessed some of the worst violence during The Troubles, and even today is viewed as a no-go area by some of Belfast's Protestants. One former U.D.R man I talked to even mentioned that the last time he went up the Falls he was in the back of an armoured car!

 The Falls Road

 Mural on the Falls Road

 Anti-British Grafitti on the Falls Road

I.R.A Mural on the Falls Road

The way up the Falls is guarded by the imposing Divis Tower, a 200 foot tall monolith, which essentially acts as the neighbourhood's very own Rock of Gibraltar. During the height of The Troubles, Divis Tower acted as a "spy tower" for the British Army, and army snipers at the top of the tower scoured the skyline for potential targets. The British no longer occupy Divis Tower, this is clearly evidenced by the green, white, and orange tricolours and Palestinian flags hanging from some of the windows.

 Divis Tower

Flags Flying from the Divis Tower

As I continued up the Falls I passed a large and ornate Republican memorial, with gold letters in both English and Gaelic. Gaelic, although only spoken by around 6% of the population of Northern Ireland, is actually used in many places along the Falls Road. Banners above bars and political offices urged locals to study the Irish language, and street signs were written in Gaelic instead of English. Just past the memorial was West Belfast's International Wall. On this wall are a huge variety of Republican murals, with themes that range from: supporting revolutionary movements in Africa and the Basque country, decrying injustices done by the P.S.N.I, and calling for the people to "smash Stormont" and end British rule on the island of Ireland. Some of these murals were dated as late as 2015, and I'd never expected to see such an openly hostile attitude towards the government from such a short time ago.

 Republican Memorial 

 Banner Supporting Use of the Irish Language

 Falls Road's International Wall

 Memorial to Deceased Republican Fighters

 Mural Supporting A.N.C in South Africa

Anti-British Mural

In front of a wall was an even more visible symbol of continued Republican resistance. some 30-40 locals had gathered in the street, and we're protesting "British Internment in Ireland." They were actually stopping traffic and handing out fliers to the drivers of passing cars. I noticed that the protesters were wearing little Easter Lilies on their shirts, a symbol of remembrance to Republicans killed during the struggle against British forces. The messages on their signs could be seen hanging above several other buildings along the Falls, showing that even now there is still the belief that Republican prisoners are mistreated by prison officers in Northern Ireland.

 Republican Protesters

Republican Protesters

I've Attached a Link to the Protester's Website

Posters and fliers calling on people to come to anniversary marches and events were scattered on walls and doors throughout the neighbourhood, and the upcoming 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin seems to be an event that will be celebrated all over the catholic areas of Belfast. I'm planning to go to one of these marches in order to see how the Republicans commemorate such a historic event.

Sign for Easter March 

Socialist Gathering Fliers

The catholic Falls Road is clearly very openly political, and this has caused a significant amount of tension with the neighbouring Shankill Road, a largely Protestant area with runs parallel with the Falls. In order to prevent any confrontation between the two groups, a huge steel wall was constructed between the two areas. This is called the "Peace Line", and it's the most famous dividing wall in Belfast. You can still travel between the Falls and the Shankill in the daytime by passing through a set of imposing steel gates, which are locked at night. In all honestly, the border between the Shankill Road and the Falls Road is probably more secure than the border between France and Italy.

 Peace Line

 Border Between the Falls Road and Shankill Road

Sign on Gate at Border

Now a short news update. The prison officer who was injured in the bombing two weeks ago has tragically passed away. Northern Ireland mourns the death of the man described by friends as "a gentle giant." I traveled to the blast site the day after the bomb went off to see if people in that area were acting any differently because of the blast. To my surprise the street was busy and full of folks going about their daily tasks. However, while the man on the street might not seem too concerned, the newspapers have reacted vigorously to the brutal attack. Almost everyday the newspapers have had lead with a dramatic story about the I.R.A, some even claiming that Ulster now finds itself on the brink of war. While the situation on the ground is not as dramatic as the papers have described, it is clear that the people of Northern Ireland don't seem to have the stomach for violence anymore.

 Site of the Bombing on Friday (Above) and Saturday (Below)

Many Newspapers have been Running Headlines about the I.R.A in Recent Days

I've also started taking surveys of the population, but I don't intend to release the results until I've finished getting at least the minimum number of surveys I intend to take. Now I've managed to score four interview over this past week, all of which are extremely exciting. I've talked to an ex-I.R.A fighter, a former policeman, a soldier's wife, and a museum curator. I was initially going to include them in this blog post, but decided that it would be best to make a unique post just for them, so that I don't gloss them over. This blog post will come to you very soon. I'm hoping to bring you more interviews in the coming weeks, and will continue to update you all on the evolving situation in Northern Ireland.

Until next week,
Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn

Working at the Museum

Hey everyone,

So today we're going to be taking a short break from the actual topic of my project to briefly discuss where I've been interning over the last two weeks.

The Royal Ulster Rifles Museum, located near the City Centre, charts the history of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment of the British Army. Starting with the regiments origins in 1783, when the 83rd and 86th Regiments of the Foot were raised in preparation for war with France, to the jungle patrols in Borneo during the mid 1960s; the Regiment has played a crucial role in some of the British Empire's finest moments.

One of the most amazing things about the museum is the sheer amount of artifacts that are stored here. Flags from 1810, rifles from 1898, letters from 1916, the museum has an artifact to correspond with every event in the Regiment's proud history. In addition to the artifacts, the museum has all the written records of the regiment dating back to the late 18th century. Reading these gives you a fascinating contemporary view of some of the most famous battles and campaigns in British Army history.

 Boer Rifles from the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)

 Captured German Pickelhaube from the First World War

 Original Flag of the 86th Regiment Dating to the Early 19th Century 

Some of the Hundreds of the Books on the Regimental History in the Museum

Now one thing that is worth note is that the Regiment has always been totally non-sectarian. Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics both served side by side, and there was practically no animosity between the two groups.

When I got here the museum was closed, they had just repainted all the walls and they had to work on putting all of the displays back in place.This gave me a really exciting opportunity, because I was allowed to hold all of the old rifles and equipment that the regiment used in the 19th and 20th century.

 Muskets and Rifles Dating from the Early to Mid 19th Century

 German Equipment Captured by the Regiment in World War II

Me With a Lee Enfield Model III, Standard Issue of British and Commonwealth Forces in World War I

The museum re-opened on 2 March, and since then we've had a steady stream of visitors, including members of the BBC who have come to do research for an upcoming documentary on the First World War. So far working here has been very exciting, and if any of you ever visit Belfast I'd definitely recommend visiting! The staff are all well-informed and have great senses of humour and admission is free, what more could you ask for?

Now, back to the actual topic of my research. This morning a bomb went off in the car of a prison officer in East Belfast, he survived and is believed to be in stable condition, but this is just one example of many attacks on prison officer that have occurred in the region over the last 20 years. The PSNI have stated that they fear that there will be an increase of dissident republican activity during the lead up to the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in late April, and believe that more attacks like this are a possibility. The attack has been condemned by politicians and people in both the Protestant and Catholic communities, and most people are totally against violence. However, while everybody I've talked to only wants peace in Northern Ireland, attacks like this show that there is still a minority who believe in armed resistance. I'll provide a link to a BBC article about the attack below, and provide you more information when it becomes available. 

BBC Link

Additionally I've already completed three interviews, and will give you the first set of interviews in my next update.

Until next time,

Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn