''This article covers rioting in July and August. For riots linked to the City Hall protests, see
Belfast City Hall flag protests
On 3 December 2012, Belfast City Council voted to limit the days that the Union Flag (the flag of the United Kingdom) flies from Belfast City Hall.Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
. They came months after the
Belfast City Hall flag protests
On 3 December 2012, Belfast City Council voted to limit the days that the Union Flag (the flag of the United Kingdom) flies from Belfast City Hall.12 July Orange Order parade, when local
Orangemen
Orangemen or Orangewomen can refer to:
*Historically, supporters of William of Orange
*Members of the modern Orange Order (also known as Orange Institution), a Protestant fraternal organisation
*Members or supporters of the Armagh GAA Gaelic foot ...
were barred from returning via their traditional route via the main Crumlin Road passing the Catholic-populated
Ardoyne
Ardoyne () is a working class and mainly Catholic and Irish republican district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It gained notoriety due to the large number of incidents during The Troubles.
Foundation
The village of Ardoyne was founded in ...
in north Belfast, which ignited protests from
loyalists
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
. Trouble also spread to south and east Belfast.
The
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ')
is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...
(PSNI) fired about 20 plastic baton rounds at rioters and used two mobile water cannons. For several hours they dealt with loyalists and
nationalists
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
exchanging missiles across the police line, and at one point a group of loyalists used ceremonial swords to attack the police lines.
Nigel Dodds
Nigel Alexander Dodds, Baron Dodds of Duncairn, (born 20 August 1958), is a British unionist politician who has been the Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the House of Lords since 2021, and was the deputy leader of the DU ...
, the unionist MP for Belfast North, was injured and hospitalised when struck in the head by a missile when he was trying to negotiate with police officers in Woodvale Avenue. 32 officers were hurt.
The PSNI Chief Constable called 400 extra police officers from England, Scotland and Wales to deal with the situation - more than 600 from the British mainland were already supporting the PSNI beforehand. It was an unprecedented move - in the past, and during
the Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
, the
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Roya ...
(RUC) never called in extra police but used the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
soldiers, who withdrew from Northern Ireland in 2007. By the end of August, 106 arrests were made and 77 were charged.
August riots
Violent clashes broke out on the evening of Friday 9 August when loyalists attempted to prevent a parade of 5,000
Irish republican
Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate.
The developm ...
marking the anniversary of internment in 1971 through the city centre. The parade was a joint alliance of dissident groups which included the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, the political wing of the
New IRA
The New Irish Republican Army, or New IRA, is a paramilitary organisation founded in July 2012. It was formed after the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) and other small Irish republican paramilitary grou ...
. It was legally given permission but up to 1,000 loyalists blocked their route at around 6 pm and attacked riot police around Royal Avenue/North Street, and clashes between loyalists and nationalists took place.
By an hour later, PSNI officers and armoured vehicles blocked the republican parade in North Queen Street in New Lodge. This would become a second stand-off from the one around Royal Avenue involving loyalists. The parade organisers decided to avoid Royal Avenue and take a route via Carrick Hill and Millfield, near the city centre, towards west Belfast. "Serious disorder" took place on these roads as riot police separated the two groups. The protesters were then pushed back towards the
Shankill Road
The Shankill Road () is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill.
The road stretches westwards for about from central Belfast ...
area.
The PSNI fired 26 plastic baton rounds and deployed two water cannons. Michael Copeland, an
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule m ...
(UUP) politician, claimed that he and his family members were assaulted by police in Royal Avenue. In total, 56 police officers and two civilians were injured.
Northern Ireland Secretary
Theresa Villiers
Theresa Anne Villiers (born 5 March 1968) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005. A member of the ...
described the violence as "shameful". Within four days the PSNI arrested 90 people of which 66 were charged, and released photos of other wanted offenders.
See also
*
Belfast City Hall flag protests
On 3 December 2012, Belfast City Council voted to limit the days that the Union Flag (the flag of the United Kingdom) flies from Belfast City Hall.2012 North Belfast riots
During the 2012 North Belfast Riots sectarian disorder and rioting between loyalists and republicans occurred when rival parades, authorised by the Parades Commission, took place.
12 July riot
The first incident occurred on 12 July 2012 during ...
*
2011 Northern Ireland riots
The 2011 Northern Ireland riots were a series of riots between 20 June 2011 and 16 July 2011, starting originally in Belfast, before spreading to other parts of Northern Ireland. They were initiated by the Ulster Volunteer Force.
June riots
The ...