The collective courtesy after Elizabeth II’s death does not hide the depth of division in Northern Ireland
King Carlos III received the political leaders in a castle and royal residence in a pro-British area. Responding to the condolence speeches, the new King expressed his affection for Ireland and his determination “to pursue the well-being of all the people of Northern Ireland”. The security measures were very light compared to the past, but the drone of helicopters in the sky of Belfast returned with the kings.
On this Tuesday morning, the most notable thing in Falls, a neighborhood that was a stronghold of the IRA, is the number of tourists taken in taxis by veterans of the terrorist war to explore the geography of the conflict, see walls of segregation between communities and murals of politicians, and get a version of Northern Ireland’s recent history.
The correspondent wants to talk about queens and kings with people from the Falls and the Shankill, but he is lost. He asks a delivery man for Clonard’s address and invites him to board the van to take him to his destination. “I don’t understand why tourists come to Belfast,” he says. It’s the Divis neighborhood and the delivery guy says it’s like the New York Bronx because of the car thefts and robberies.
After a while, Mary and her granddaughter arrive at the esplanade of the Clonard Monastery. The grandmother is not interested in the monarchy: «No, no. Of course it is terrible for them to lose their mother or grandmother, but they live in enormous wealth and the people here cannot heat their homes,” he says.
“I think there will be a change with Carlos, that there will be a common ground, that they will step down from their position…” Mary says. “We all need to come together, not just in Northern Ireland, but around the world.” But he believes that his party, Sinn Féin, made a mistake by participating in the mourning for the Queen.
The party historically linked to the terrorist group IRA won the largest number of seats in regional elections last May and is set to rule. It can’t because the largest trade union party, the DUP, does not participate in the shared government that agreed in 1998 to force the annulment of the border controls put in place by Brexit.
Sinn Féin leader and potential Northern Ireland Chief Minister Michelle O’Neill first called the British province after her official name when she was elected, and has now done so for the second time. He expressed his condolences on the death of Elizabeth II, praising “her cordiality, kindness and courtesy towards us.”
Representatives of the Catholic and Republican tradition did not participate in any act of Carlos III’s ascension, but O’Neill did not limit himself to condolences. He also praised the “significant contribution” of the late Queen “to the promotion of peace and reconciliation between the different traditions of our island and between Ireland and Great Britain.”
He was referring to Elizabeth II’s 2011 visit to Ireland, the first visit by a British monarch, in which she laid a bouquet of flowers and bowed her head at the Dublin memorial to the Irish who died fighting the British. And at the greeting, a year later, shaking hands with Martin McGuinness, historical leader of the IRA and then deputy chief minister of the region.
But Charles III, who visited Northern Ireland several times as Prince of Wales and also made gestures in favor of reconciliation, did not receive the collective condolences from the Northern Ireland parliament yesterday, as happened in London or Edinburgh. The Autonomous Assembly has been dissolved and no one believes in a speedy recovery.
Brexit has damaged relations between London and Dublin, although the Irish President and Prime Minister attended the religious service held in Belfast in memory of the Queen. The words among politicians are cruder. In that tense vacuum, O’Neill claimed in August that there was no alternative to the IRA’s campaign of violence.
From Falls to Shankill, a man in his fifties has nothing to say about the monarchy. “I’m not interested,” he says. But it will be Republican. “No, I’m Catholic, but I’m not Republican or anything. They haven’t done anything for me.” But all this conflict stems from the wars between Catholics and Protestants. “I’m not interested. I take care of my family, my children. He thinks there are many like him in this neighborhood.
Shankill is reached through what they call the ‘interface’, holes in the walls separating rival neighborhoods. On the wall supporting the fence separating them, there is a mural that begins with Republican statues and ends, on the other side of the border, with those of pro-British loyalists. The peace process has led to these collaborations in the area, perhaps the most affected by the violence.
Ian Danks, who promotes a community center on Shankill Road, explains Loyalty: “The people here are immensely proud and passionate about being British, and the monarch is essential. You see it this week, in the deep pride of the regime’s processions and military presence, which gives them a sense of belonging.
Nearby murals recall the battles of the Ulster Division in the First World War. If there are Palestinian flags in the falls, the Israeli flag is painted or hung here. Despite the fact that trade unions are in the majority and that the 1998 peace agreement maintains Northern Ireland as a British province, Danks complains about a marginalization of these loyalist communities. Don’t blame the union work.
Miss Stevenson is busy with something else. Snap photos of a mosaic of drawings of Isabel II made by the students at her school. How would you explain to Spanish readers this community’s loyalty to the monarchy? “The culture in this area is British, which means that people see the Royal Family and the late Queen as their heads of state. There is always great loyalty and it will be with the new king,” he replies.
Elizabeth II’s remains arrived in London yesterday for a six-day public tribute and state funeral. In mid-afternoon, a C-17 Globemaster plane landed at Northolt Army Base, the coffin draped with the royal banner and a garland of flowers. Hours earlier, the coffin had been carried outside to the excited gaze of a crowd gathered outside St. Gilles Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Source: La Verdad
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