During a visit to Northern Ireland on Friday, Boris Johnson faced the discontent that agitates the British province over the new post-Brexit rules.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was confronted on Friday, during a visit to Northern Ireland, with growing discontent in the British province over the consequences of Brexit.
In favor of an outright abandonment of controls on goods coming from Great Britain, the Northern Irish Prime Minister Arlene Foster (DUP – Unionist) considered “intolerable” the provisions entered into force since January 1st. For her part, Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill (Sinn Fein – Republican party in favor of the reunification of Ireland), refused to welcome Boris Johnson when he arrived in Belfast, criticizing him for his “reckless approach and partisan “vis-à-vis the Northern Irish protocol.
An integral part of the divorce agreement between London and Brussels, this text is intended to prevent the return of a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU. This would risk jeopardizing the peace signed in 1998 after three decades of deadly conflict between loyalists, attached to the British crown, and Republicans.
EU response
Barely two months later, unilateral decisions by the government of Boris Johnson, which postponed certain controls on the arrival of goods from Great Britain in the province, aroused anger and preparation for a judicial response on the European side. “We are taking legal and technical measures to build confidence,” the Prime Minister said. “It is the right thing to do given the impact on the Good Friday (peace) agreement and the need to have the consent of both communities.” But the current situation does not seem to satisfy anyone.
Failing to get an interview with Boris Johnson and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, Michelle O’Neill, party vice-president, refused to meet him. After speaking with him, Arlene Foster, leader of the ultra-conservative unionist party DUP, underlined the damage of the decried protocol on society and the economy: “We need a permanent solution so that companies can foresee and that the ‘integrity of the UK internal market is restored’.
Since the entry into force of the protocol, the police have warned of the “feverish” atmosphere that is rising in the province. Last month, threats against staff carrying out checks justified their temporary withdrawal. The incident brought back memories of the three decades of the “Troubles”, which left 3,500 people dead.
Before Boris Johnson’s visit was unveiled the program for the centenary celebrations of Northern Ireland, which remained under the British crown while the rest of the island became independent. The anniversary is unlikely to be celebrated by Republicans, who deem Ireland’s partition unfair.
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