Belfast riots continue over Brexit betrayal
Water cannons have been used on rioters in west Belfast as violence broke out for a seventh night in Northern Ireland.
Police have described the riots as 'worst seen in Northern Ireland in years'.
The rising tension in Northern Ireland is largely due to the 'Brexit Betrayal' which saw the UK government bow down to the demands of the EU and Irish Republicans.
During Brexit negotiations, the EU, encouraged by the Irish government, cynically set out to weaponise Northern Ireland to scupper a deal or at the very least heavily punish the British.
The then Prime Minister, Theresa May and her hopeless negotiating team caved in to the ludicrously exaggerated warnings about how a land border would lead to a resumption of violence and the death of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
After taking over as British PM, Boris Johnson continued to cower and agreed to the Northern Ireland Protocol which impedes trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain and introduced a border through the Irish Sea separating Ulster from mainland Britain.
Tempers finally flared when, last week, after nearly a year of deliberation, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced they would not be prosecuting any of the attendees at the IRA funeral of Bobby Storey, who clearly breached Covid-19 legislation.
Last June, Sinn Féin leaders, including Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill, president Mary Lou McDonald and her predecessor Gerry Adams, joined 2,000 others to attend the funeral of the ex-convict, prison-escapee and IRA 'Director of Intelligence' Bobby Storey.
At the time, the limit for the number allowed to attend funerals was 30 people.
The event caused public fury and a political crisis because other members of the public were restricted to having just 10 mourners at their funerals (upped to 30 just after Mr Storey’s funeral) under public health guidance put in place by the very Sinn Féin leaders in attendance at the mass gathering.
Ten months after the funeral, the PPS announced that none of the 24 individuals investigated around the funeral would be prosecuted.
Youths gathered in West Belfast again on Thursday night with violence flaring up resulting in police blasting rioters with water cannons.
Young people gathered on the Springfield Road around 4.30pm on 8th April, and PA reports those involved in the disturbance were warned by police to “disperse immediately or the water cannon will be used”.
Rioters fired missiles, petrol bombs, bricks, fireworks and glass bottles at police and later in the evening, it is reported police warned crowds that 'impact rounds would be fired'.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have had to back-pedal on allegations that the UVF had encouraged some of the trouble after stating they 'are now satisfied the group and its leadership was not involved.'
| Stay connected! If you want to be notified of our latest videos, livestreams and more, why not consider subscribing to our Purged.tv channel! |  |
