Loyalist anger ‘bubbling up’ as further Brexit ‘betrayal’ meetings planned

Protest meetings are being organised across Northern Ireland in response to unionist fears over the implications of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.
Loyalist muralLoyalist mural
Loyalist mural

Protest meetings are being organised across Northern Ireland in response to unionist fears over the implications of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

The meetings come amid warnings of potential civil disorder by loyalists if Brexit threatens the union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

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PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne told BBC Newsnight last week: “You can anticipate a lot of emotion in loyalist communities and the potential for civil disorder.”

Activist Jamie Bryson. Photo credit: Niall Carson/PA WireActivist Jamie Bryson. Photo credit: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Activist Jamie Bryson. Photo credit: Niall Carson/PA Wire

And Jonathan Powell, a UK government negotiator for the Belfast Agreement, accused Boris Johnson of “playing games” with the peace process.

Around 500 loyalists gathered at the Constitutional Club in east Belfast on Monday night to discuss their ‘betrayal’ in Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

Similar meetings are now being held across Northern Ireland amid a further warning over “strains and tensions” amongst loyalists.

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The first is set to take place at Mary Street Orange Hall in Newtownards, Co Down on Friday, and another is due to take place next Friday at North Belfast Orange Hall.

Activist Jamie Bryson told the News Letter further meetings are likely in the Mid Ulster, Enniskillen and Belfast areas in the coming weeks.

“There’s going to be lots more across the Province,” he said.

“They’re not centrally co-ordinated so the other night (at the Constitutional Club) was about saying to people to go back into your own areas to develop these meetings. It’s about empowering people in local communities to get involved in being political.”

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Mr Bryson, asked whether there were fears the situation could spiral, said: “It’s a big concern. I have been raising this issue for four-to-six weeks and saying about the anger that’s been bubbling in the loyalist community. Some people sought to dismiss that. But I think now what’s become clear is that the people doing the dismissing were the misguided ones. “Obviously there is this anger within unionism and loyalism. That’s been reflected in the comments of the chief constable, in the comments of Jonathan Powell, in the comments of security experts and obviously we heard Nigel Dodds in the Commons. It was reflected in the Con Club on Monday night. I struggle to think of a section of unionism and loyalism that wasn’t reflected. The meeting was extremely, extremely angry and extremely defiant. This is not going to be tolerated.”

Mr Bryson added: “I think it has sparked something within the unionist and loyalist community and I think people really have had enough. People are saying ‘enough is enough, we’re going to have to do something’.”

David Campbell, chairman of the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), welcomed the comments from former government negotiator Jonathan Powell.

“His comments in defence of the Belfast Agreement and the need to preserve the various components of the peace process are timely and should be heeded by Her Majesty’s Government,” Mr Campbell said.

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“Jonathan Powell worked closely with the loyalist groups in establishing the LCC, and he is aware of the strains and tensions that our members will be trying to manage on the ground. The fact that the Irish government and the nationalist parties, including Alliance, have been so quick to cite their defence of the Agreement over the past two years - yet have been silent over the past week when key principles of that Agreement have been breached due to this deal with the EU - smacks of gross hypocrisy.”

He continued: “Can one imagine the screaming from all those quarters if it had been unionism that was proposing to ditch the cross-community voting mechanism ?

Mr Campbell added: “The LCC firmly supports the DUP’s rejection of this deal and urges HM Government and the European Union to revisit the proposed Agreement and amend it to ensure its compatibility with the Belfast Agreement. I am writing to the Prime Minister, and to Michel Barnier to request these changes before it is too late.”