First published by Socialist Party, January 2013
Turmoil over the issue of the flying of the union flag has now continued across Northern Ireland for six weeks. The protests, blocking of roads and frequent rioting began on December 3rd when Belfast City Council voted to fly the flag over City Hall on seventeen “designated days” only rather than 365 days a year. Since then there have been protests almost every day-including a small protest on Christmas Day itself. On some nights as many as 80 roads have been blocked. Nearly one hundred police officers have been injured in the rioting. The police have used water cannon and fired potentially lethal plastic bullets and over one hundred protesters have been arrested. On January 11th protesters launched a wave of road blocks dubbed “Operation Standstill” which effectively brought Belfast to a halt for two hours with nearly all buses off the road. On January 12th the fiercest rioting yet left 29 police injured.
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