Study of Newspaper article

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Modern World Study: Assesment Objective 2

Section A: Study of Newspaper article

The article in The Independent, dated Tuesday 4th September 2001, is an intelligent discussion over a situation in the town of Aerodyne, Belfast, and Northern Ireland.

In Belfast a group of rioting Loyalists have been fiercely trying to intimidate young Catholic girls from going to their centre of education. The loyalists are protestant members of the community who are loyal to the idea of Northern Ireland remaining a part of Great Britain.

The girls attend Holy Cross Catholic Girls Primary School and this was to be their first day of term, but they were forced to be escorted the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). The RUC is the Northern Irish Police that is largely a protestant organisation. This has too contributed much to Northern Ireland’s Catholic unrest as the opportunities for employment in this force has been restricted for them and they have been subject to vast quantity of racial discrimination in the work place.

The Catholic parents on their way to taking their children to school are reluctant to relinquish the right to walk that route to school as they feel they should be allowed, whereas the Protestants feel this is an act of rebellion or defiance against them. It was seen as an act of ‘Catholic encroachment’ or growth in a protestant area and so the loyalists want to close the entrance to the school as it is far short of nationalist grounds. The term nationalist is applied to those citizens of Northern Ireland who are Catholic and/or want Ireland to be re-united as one Republic.

The article tells of warnings that have been issued by The Red Hand Defenders, a group of militant pro-protestants, that the gate will have to be closed or they will continue the intimidation. The article also indicated the Catholics were called ‘Fenian scum’ which is derogatory term given to Catholics and they also insulted them with worse.

The article goes on to comment on the extra motivation involved at the Protestants end of things. The Catholic children’s parents were know activists, which means they are active in the Catholic community and promoting their ideas, and this was seen as a preverbal slap-in-the-face.

They do not wish to give up the right to walk down a public road and the unionists don’t want to let them.

The article continues to say about the local government’s reaction where local MP Nigel Dodds criticises the heavy-handed tactics used by both parties when young children were at risk.

Section B: How have the past events caused these problems?

When looking at the article the main problems are apparent quickly. There have been complaints and accusations leading to a territorial battle all summer where angry loyalists have been claiming the Catholics have been attacking their homes. This has intensified their view that Catholics should keep to their areas and not randomly wander into theirs (Somewhat contradictory given the protestant view that Orange marches should be allowed through largely Catholic areas). Catholics are however keen to defy this notion and feel they are entitled to take their children to school there. This dispute over territory has deep roots leading back into history.

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Catholisism was introduced into Ireland when it was a united country and not part of Great Britain. It’s development from Celtic pagan groups, coincided with the spread of Catholisism across the whole of Europe, mainland Britain included.

During the Reformation, England changed its religion following the countries excommunication from Rome. Henry VIII, in establishing the Church Of England, himself as defender of the faith and persecution Catholics, created political tensions. Henry, considering himself and mainland Britain vunerable from Catholic regions such as Spain and France, desired control of Ireland as it could be seen as a potential stepping-stone ...

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