On the eve of US President Joe Biden’s visit, during a parade of dissident republicans in Derry, Northern Ireland, a crowd of people threw themselves at the police with Molotov cocktails and other blunt objects. The unauthorized procession made it necessary to intervene by the forces of order in riot gear: the clashes that have taken place so far seem not to have caused any injuries, but they have not gone unnoticed also due to the coincidence with the arrival of the American president. On the 25th anniversary of the 1998 Good Friday Accords, which ended 30 years of civil war, protesters planned to march to the cemetery to commemorate the anniversary of the Irish uprising against the British at Easter 1916. But a group of young men, with their faces covered, targeted a police Land Rover that was monitoring the parade in the Creggan area. As reported by the Guardian the vehicle caught fire but there are currently no casualties or injuries. “Our officers are under attack in Creggan with petrol bombs and other objects thrown at their vehicle during an unannounced Easter parade,” a police spokesman said. “No injuries have been reported at this time. But we appeal for calm ».
From Pope Francis to Biden, the international spotlight “feeds the violence”
The Easter parades in Derry are not new to episodes of violence like that of a few hours ago. But police say the international spotlight on Northern Ireland in recent days has given dissident republicans additional incentive. The attack on the police vehicle came shortly after Pope Francis lauded the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. “In a spirit of gratitude I pray to the God of peace that what was achieved in that historic step may be consolidated for the benefit of all the men and women of the island of Ireland,” the pontiff said in his address on Easter Monday. In a few hours, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will welcome Joe Biden to Belfast, kicking off a four-day visit by the US president to Northern Ireland and Ireland. The two leaders will hold talks in a Belfast hotel before Biden delivers a speech at the new Ulster University campus, his only public engagement in the region where part of his family hails.