| 2011 Northern Ireland riots | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Riot police and a burnt-out car in Ardoyne | |||
| Date | 20 June 2011 – 16 July 2011 | ||
| Location | |||
| Methods | Demonstrations, rioting, car burnings, houses damaged, gun battles | ||
| Resulted in |
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| Casualties and losses | |||
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The 2011 Northern Ireland riots were a series of riots between 20 June 2011 and 16 July 2011, starting originally in Belfast, before spreading to other parts of Northern Ireland. They were initiated by the Ulster Volunteer Force. [1]
The sectarian violence began around 21:00 BST on the night of Monday 20 June, when a large number of loyalists made their way from the unionist Mount and Castlereagh Street areas to the nationalist Short Strand enclave. [2] This provoked a response from the nationalists. [2] The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said that around 500–600 people were involved in the rioting. [3] According to the PSNI, the riots are said to have been initially instigated by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). [4] [5]
The clashes saw various dangerous objects such as petrol bombs, bricks, bottles, fireworks and smoke bombs thrown by both sides in what police described as "high-level, life-threatening, organised, serious and sustained" attack by people "hell-bent on disorder". [5] At one point six shots were fired from the nationalist Short Strand area followed by about five shots from the loyalist Pitt Park. [5] Two shots hit a police Land Rover in what the PSNI claimed was attempted murder of their officers. [2] One officer suffered eye injuries when a laser pen was being used to blind officers. [5]
The riots in Short Strand were described by politicians as the worst violence in the area in a decade. [6]
On the Tuesday night, during further clashes between unionists and nationalists, about 700 people were involved. A photographer was shot in the leg by a gunman firing from the nationalist area, which police blamed on dissident republicans. [3] [7] [8]
By Wednesday 22 June, discussions were held between community representatives, politicians, and loyalist and nationalist figures. The result was for both sides to police their communities to avoid further violence.[ citation needed ] Later that night the area was largely peaceful despite unionist and nationalist groups – held back by community marshals – being involved for several hours in a stand-off at the Mountpottinger Road end of the Short Strand until around 01:30 on Thursday morning. [7] Nationalist marshals intervened to stop nationalist youths attacking police Land Rovers. [7]
A 20-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and assaulting police, [3] which was followed on the Wednesday by the arrest of a 22-year-old man from West Belfast about the rioting. [7]
A riot broke out on 1 July 2011 in Castlereagh Street and Albertbridge Road, where the police used water cannons again to stop rioting continuing into the night. [9]
On 9 July, loyalist rioters attacked the PSNI in Ballyclare after the PSNI removed Union and paramilitary flags from outside a Catholic church. [10]
Expected riots broke out on 11 July and nationalist rioters attacked the PSNI in the Oldpark and Broadway areas of Belfast. The Royal Victoria Hospital's new £9 million extensions was damaged. It is believed shots were fired. [11]
More expected rioting broke out the following day in nationalist areas of north and south Belfast following the annual Orange Order Twelfth of July parades. Trouble also broke out in Derry, where police claimed people as young as ten were involved. The PSNI were criticised for their handling of the riots. [12] [13]
On 15 July, police in Portadown came under attack with a riot involving around 100 people. Immigrants were forced to flee Northern Ireland when their home came under attack by loyalists in a Catholic area. [14] The next day, in Corcraine, Portadown, there was further unrest and rioting. [15]
The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed by Billy Wright in 1996 when he and his unit split from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) after breaking its ceasefire. Most of its members came from the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade, which Wright had commanded. In a two-year period from August 1996, the LVF waged a paramilitary campaign in opposition to Irish republicanism and the Northern Ireland peace process. During this time it killed at least 14 people in gun and bomb attacks, almost all of them Catholic civilians killed at random. The LVF called off its campaign in August 1998 and decommissioned some of its weapons, but in the early 2000s a loyalist feud led to several killings. Since then, the LVF has been largely inactive, but its members are believed to have been involved in rioting and organized crime. In 2015, the security forces stated that the LVF "exists only as a criminal group" in Mid-Ulster and Antrim.
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group based in Northern Ireland. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former Royal Ulster Rifles soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence and criminal activities. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation list of the United Kingdom.
The Short Strand is a working class, inner city area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a mainly Catholic and Irish nationalist enclave surrounded by the mainly Protestant and unionist East Belfast.
Ulster loyalism is a strand of Ulster unionism associated with working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland. Like other unionists, loyalists support the continued existence of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, and oppose a united Ireland independent of the UK. Unlike other strands of unionism, loyalism has been described as an ethnic nationalism of Ulster Protestants and "a variation of British nationalism". Loyalists are often said to have a conditional loyalty to the British state so long as it defends their interests. They see themselves as loyal primarily to the Protestant British monarchy rather than to British governments and institutions, while Garret FitzGerald argued they are loyal to 'Ulster' over 'the Union'. A small minority of loyalists have called for an independent Ulster Protestant state, believing they cannot rely on British governments to support them. The term 'loyalism' is usually associated with paramilitarism.
Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007, as part of the Troubles. It was the longest continuous deployment in British military history. The British Army was initially deployed, at the request of the unionist government of Northern Ireland, in response to the August 1969 riots. Its role was to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and to assert the authority of the British government in Northern Ireland. This involved counter-insurgency and supporting the police in carrying out internal security duties such as guarding key points, mounting checkpoints and patrols, carrying out raids and searches, riot control and bomb disposal. More than 300,000 soldiers served in Operation Banner. At the peak of the operation in the 1970s, about 21,000 British troops were deployed, most of them from Great Britain. As part of the operation, a new locally-recruited regiment was also formed: the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).
Interface area is the name given in Northern Ireland to areas where segregated nationalist and unionist residential areas meet. They have been defined as "the intersection of segregated and polarised working class residential zones, in areas with a strong link between territory and ethno-political identity".
The Drumcree conflict or Drumcree standoff is a dispute over yearly parades in the town of Portadown, Northern Ireland. The town is mainly Protestant and hosts numerous Protestant marches each summer, but has a significant Catholic minority. The Orange Order insists that it should be allowed to march its traditional route to and from Drumcree Church on the Sunday before the Twelfth of July. However, most of this route is through the mainly Catholic/Irish nationalist part of town. The residents, who see the march as sectarian, triumphalist and supremacist, have sought to ban it from their area.
The Battle of St Matthew's or Battle of Short Strand was a gun battle that took place on the night of 27–28 June 1970 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was fought between the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), and Ulster loyalists in the area around St Matthew's Roman Catholic church. This lies at the edge of the Short Strand, a Catholic enclave in a mainly-Protestant part of the city. Violence had erupted there, and in other parts of Belfast, following marches by the Orange Order. The battle lasted about five hours and ended at dawn when loyalists withdrew. The British Army and police were deployed nearby but did not intervene. Three people were killed and at least 26 wounded in the fighting, while another three were killed in north Belfast.
This is a timeline of actions by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group since 1966. It includes actions carried out by the Red Hand Commando (RHC), a group integrated into the UVF shortly after their formation in 1972. It also includes attacks claimed by the Protestant Action Force (PAF), a covername used by the UVF. Most of these actions took place during the conflict known as "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland.
From 6 to 11 July 1997 there were mass protests, fierce riots and gun battles in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland. Irish nationalists/republicans, in some cases supported by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), attacked the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and British Army. The protests and violence were sparked by the decision to allow the Orange Order to march their traditional route, passing through a Catholic/nationalist neighbourhood of Portadown. Irish nationalists were outraged by the decision and by the RUC's aggressive treatment of those protesting against the march. There had been a bitter dispute over the march for many years.
During the 2012 North Belfast Riots sectarian disorder and rioting between loyalists and republicans occurred when rival parades, authorised by the Parades Commission, took place.
On 3 December 2012, Belfast City Council voted to limit the days that the Union Flag flies from Belfast City Hall. Since 1906, the flag had been flown every day of the year. This was reduced to 18 specific days a year, the minimum requirement for UK government buildings. The move to limit the number of days was backed by the council's Irish nationalists while the Alliance Party abstained from the vote; it was opposed by the unionist councillors.
The 2005 Belfast riots were serious loyalist riots and civil disturbances in Belfast, Northern Ireland in September 2005. The violence broke out after the Protestant Orange Order Whiterock parade was re-routed to avoid the Irish nationalist Springfield Road area. Clashes also broke out in several towns in County Antrim. The incidents took place amid a fierce feud between members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), who are also thought to have orchestrated the riots.
The 2002 Short Strand clashes, also known as the siege of Short Strand, was a series of major sectarian violence and gun battles in and around the Short Strand area of east Belfast – a mainly Irish/Catholic enclave surrounded by Protestant communities. Although violence had occurred many times throughout 2002, this article deals with the worst episode in June.
On 12 July 2001, major rioting and civil disorder broke out in Ardoyne, north Belfast, Northern Ireland. In some of the worst rioting in years, 113 police officers were injured in clashes which followed a July 12 parade. Police were attacked when trying clear the path for about 100 Orangemen returning from the parade to go along a main road passing the Catholic Ardoyne area.
The 2010 Northern Ireland riots were riots and civil disturbance in Northern Ireland in July 2010, orchestrated by Irish republicans.
The May 2002 Belfast riots were riots that occurred in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. On Saturday May 2002, up to 800 people were involved in sectarian clashes beginning shortly after the Scottish Cup Final in which Rangers F.C. beat Celtic F.C. Petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown at Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers. That night 28 police officers and 10 civilians were injured, including two Protestant men who were shot.
This article covers rioting in July and August. For riots linked to the City Hall protests, see Belfast City Hall flag protests.
Events from the year 2021 in Northern Ireland.
A series of riots in loyalist areas of Northern Ireland began in Waterside, Derry, on 30 March 2021. After four nights of rioting in Derry, disturbances spread to south Belfast on 2 April, where a loyalist protest developed into a riot involving iron bars, bricks, masonry and petrol bombs. Following this, civil unrest spread to Newtownabbey on 3 April, where cars were hijacked and burnt, and petrol bombs were also used against police. Carrickfergus in southern County Antrim also saw serious civil unrest on the night of 4 April and morning of 5 April, where loyalists created roadblocks to keep police out of local estates and threw petrol bombs at police vehicles.
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