Not sure if this is the right thread but what’s all this about burning cars and pipe bombs because they told the loyalists to have smaller bonfires?
An understandable but mistaken take from NI outsiders. That does indeed have a small part to play but there have been a number of concentrated attacks on smaller unionist communities in the north which seems to have brought out the darker elements in the city. The small Protestant Fountain Estate on the Derry's Walls side of the river Foyle (small because Protestants were forced to leave their homes during the upheaval in the sixties and seventies) was under systemic attack from youths from the republican Bogside area in Derry. For about three nights or so stones were thrown into the estate damaging unionist homes and terrifying families.
Also in rural areas a number of bonfires were attacked by nationalists and burned down before the eleventh night. For those of you in England, this is seen in working class Protestant areas as a direct attack on their working class culture (which is right wing as opposed to left wing). The police have blamed a lot of the trouble outside of Belfast on dissident republicans which seems to be why the UVF lashed out. It is worth remembering that terrorism still exists in our country and the dissident republicans are still classed as the most dangerous threat, even by MI5 themselves.
One final little anecdote about how horrible this place can be, a man and a woman were arrested in Randalstown after a video emerged of the man in full Provisional IRA garb aiming a AK-47 at a pre-Twelfth church parade of kids and their families and pretending to kill them all. Thankfully this moron has been arrested.
Before anyone says one side is as bad as the other, yes I know. My lot have as much bad in them as the other lot, but for the country to properly move forward each other's traditions need to be respected. I have attended Catholic parades in the past out of curiosity as well. The harder people try to demonise an Irishman (and I am an Irishman, just of a different 'colour') the harder he will stick to his beliefs. The media would do well to remember this when they're mocking us.
They wouldn't have the balls to say it to our face, and that's the tragedy of it all. The UK/Ireland etc. talk a lot about liberty, freedom of religion and conscience etc. But do they really believe in it?