Violence flares around Northern Ireland marches

[cratehorus]

Protestant marchers in Belfast threw bricks and bottles at police, who responded with water cannon and rubber bullets as Northern Ireland's annual parade season descended into violence on Friday.

Pro-British Protestants march every summer in the British-ruled province, a regular flashpoint for sectarian violence as Catholics, many of whom favor unification with Ireland, see the parades as provocative.

Since a peace agreement was signed in 1998, violence between Catholics and Protestants - which raged on and off for three decades - has largely ended. But much of Belfast remains divided along religious lines and unrest still flares from time to time.

Extra police have been drafted in from Britain for the marches.

Tens of thousands of Orange Order marchers, wearing orange sashes and waving British flags, paraded at more than a dozen venues across Northern Ireland to mark the 1690 victory at the Battle of the Boyne by Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James of England.

Police said four officers had been injured in the clashes, on the borders of Protestant and Catholic areas.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/1...edType=RSS

[NoraBrimstone]

Same old, same old. Last time I was in Belfast, a bomb was thrown at people at Toys R Us. Ridiculous.

[zebo-the-fat]

It's time they all grew up, this "You can't march down our street because your invisible friend is slightly different to mine" is just childish

[NoraBrimstone]

Yeah, there's a bit more to it than that. History and stuff.

[Something completely different]

It's time they all grew up, this "You can't march down our street because your invisible friend is slightly different to mine" is just childish

The thing started with James the second when he sold land in Ulster to scottish puritans.

And "orange marches" celebrate William of Orange, the Dutch King who came to the thrown of the UK rplacing the catholic hair to the thrown from the Stuart dynasty.

There is some religion in it, but not as much as you think.

[cratehorus]

It's time they all grew up, this "You can't march down our street because your invisible friend is slightly different to mine" is just childish

well why can't they have an all out civil war????????? it's seems that catholic irish and the english protestants have just as much hatred between one another as the shias and sunnis, or hezbollah and israel

[Brian37]

Palestine vs Israel Protestants vs Catlolics, and it is the same stupid shit.