On the dull wall, near the port of Larne (Northern Ireland, United Kingdom), you can see big strokes of lighter paint. They cover white letters: “All border post employees are targets.” Appearing in January 2021, this threat caused the suspension of port controls supposed to be carried out for any goods arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain, within the United Kingdom itself. The agents concerned were brought to safety and their work stopped dead. Because the Northern Irish protocol is still under discussion and a source of tension since Brexit. An important meeting is due to take place on Monday February 22, 2022 between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Northern Ireland indeed needs a special status since it has a physical border with its cousin, the Republic of Ireland, which is still in the European Union. With Brexit, a virtual border has appeared in the sea between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland: this therefore requires checks on arrival in Northern Ireland, as if the goods came from abroad. Gold, Ihe application of the protocol was suspended as soon as it entered into force a little over a year ago, before resuming thereafter. The authorities rightly feared violence on the port of Larne, north of Belfast. Unionists, those who feel British, do not tolerate these controls imposed by Brexit.
“We can’t have a border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland since we are part of the United Kingdom! To be honest, that annoys me.”
a unionistat franceinfo
Could this nervousness lead to violence? “There were a few demonstrations at the time, very small, maybe a hundred people”, judge James McKeown, who does not believe it. This Sinn Fein elected official, opposed to the Unionists, denies this alarmist version, like many here now. “Some political parties have raised this tension but there has never been any real concern about violence on this subject”, he assures. This rwas based on a rumor, since denied, of individuals who took down the license plates of customs officers and some threatening graffiti.
/2022/02/21/phpI4tdXv.jpg)
The subject remains sensitive, so much so that the port authorities refuse to say whether the controls are now carried out normally. “I don’t want to dwell too much on the subject but the operation is far from normal”considers on his side Glyn Roberts, who heads the country’s largest traders’ association, which has 1,800 members, many of whom import and export from the port of Larne. “The checks continue and the port administration is doing its job. They have been in the eye of the storm. If we find an agreement, all these problems will be settled.” In the meantime, there are still a few small white signs hanging from the posts over Larne Harbour. You can read there: “European Union, give Northern Ireland a free hand.”