Unrest simmers in Northern Ireland

Police used water cannons on protesters for the first time in six years on Thursday in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The demonstrators threw stones, fireworks, and gasoline-filled bottles. Thursday’s gathering was smaller than others, but police said 19 more officers sustained injuries. Some 74 have been injured since the unrest began last week.

What’s going on? COVID-19 lockdowns and new trade rules following Brexit have fueled longstanding tension between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Despite occasional outbursts of violence, the region has been largely peaceful since the Good Friday agreement in 1998 ended a long stretch of fighting known as “the Troubles.” But Britain’s departure from the European Union has reimposed some trade and border restrictions, setting off old disagreements about the region’s place in the United Kingdom.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about how a centuries-old religious divide in Northern Ireland threw a wrench into Brexit negotiations.