Political Violence Looms at the Edges of the European Order

In Ireland, the agonizingly slow but ultimately inevitable dawning of Brexit has begun to fray the seams of the Good Friday Agreement that allowed for the end of The Troubles in Ireland. A cohort of right-wing Irish paramilitary groups have delivered menacing letters to the Prime Ministers of the UK and Ireland. In these letters, the paramilitary groups threatened to take up arms and ignore the Good Friday peace agreement until the sea border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK is lifted. The Loyalist paramilitaries see this sea border, a trade barrier that economically ties Northern Ireland more closely to the Republic of Ireland and the EU, as a threat to Northern Ireland’s connection to the UK. In their letter these loyalist groups promised indiscriminate violence, and on this they have delivered. Over this past Easter weekend, in cities across Northern Ireland such as Belfast and Derry, Loyalist protestors ran rampant, attacking police, throwing petrol bombs, and setting cars on fire. The violence seems to have abated for the time being, but there is no telling when it could flare back up.

In 1974, the nation of Cyprus was divided in two after a Greek coup d’état and a Turkish invasion. Ever since, the Island has consisted of the Greek-aligned Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The latter is not recognized by the UN, but the Greek, British, and Turkish governments were still all able to come to a ceasefire agreement as well as a series of further agreements allowing for the relatively free movement of Cypriots and a general feeling of stability. Recently, the Turkish government has ignored some of these agreements and has begun to try and assert control over offshore areas that both it and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus claim as theirs. Turkey has been encouraging hydrocarbon prospecting in these areas and has been deploying warships between the islands of Crete and Cyprus to try and cement these claims. The Greek government has responded by deploying their own warships and playing the dangerous game of brinksmanship. This rise in tensions offshore has also soured relations on the island itself, further increasing the threat of out and out violence.

Since the ushering into power of the New Democracy (ND) party, political tensions in Greece have been on the rise. The ND government has targeted left-wing activists and community organizers as well as squatters and the homeless population, turning many out onto the streets. The government has further agitated the Greek public through the uneven application of lockdown rules; political elites and tourists are granted wide ranging freedoms, while the common Greek citizen receives harsh treatment. Meanwhile, former terrorist and political activist Dimitris Koufontinas conducted a hunger strike to protest his and his comrades’ treatment by the government. Protests in solidarity with Koufontinas were staged across Greece and were met with brutal police repression. To top it all off, the Greek government announced a plan to create a new force for policing college campuses, in opposition to the Greek constitution that explicitly denies police access to college campuses due to the massacres conducted by the police and the former junta government. This, combined with a fresh case of police brutality, resulted in massive protests and rioting. During these protests, several police officers were injured, and the Greek police exacted brutal reprisals, seemingly without any regard for the rights of Greek citizens. Between the deep distrust of the Greek government by its citizens and the seemingly cyclical nature of violence and repression in Greece, the tension will continue to grow.

Joe Doner - Staff Writer