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Brexit tensions mark the Protestant marches in Ulster

Dublin, Jul 12 (EFE) .- (Image: Frederick Gillingham / Mark Marlow) Protestants in Northern Ireland held their traditional Orange marches on Monday amid growing tension in the pro-British unionist community over the new post-Brexit customs border in the Irish Sea, which separates the province from the island of Great Britain.Thousands of members of the Orange Order will parade through the streets of the region to mark the Twelve of July, the holiday with which they toast for their traditions and their ties with the United Kingdom, now in danger, their leaders warn, by the divorce with the European Union (EU).The starting gun was given last night with almost 200 bonfires on July 11, which gathered hundreds of people around huge bonfires in Protestant neighborhoods of the province, a common source of tension that, however, passed without incident, according to The Northern Irish Police (PSNI) confirmed today.Up to 2,000 law enforcement officers are part of the security device designed by the PSNI to maintain peace during these festivities, whose bill rose to almost 1.5 million euros in 2019, the last time there were parades, canceled last year for the pandemic.A SECULAR TRADITIONThe Order commemorates on this date the victory of the Protestant King William III of Orange over the Catholic James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, with marches that, in some cases, cross nationalist-Catholic areas and that often cause serious disturbances. .The PSNI closely watched the Tiger's Bay bonfire, built in a Protestant area of North Belfast close to one of the so-called "peace lines", the physical barriers that still separate the two warring communities.Two nationalist ministers of the Northern Irish power-sharing executive, headed by the Protestant Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), went to court last week to ask for the cancellation of this bonfire, but Justice gave the green light.As is often the case, nationalist symbols were burned and a flag of the Republic of Ireland burned last night in Tiger's Bay perched atop the typical wooden pallet tower erected by Protestants."I know a flag was burned and I do not approve of it at all," Protestant pastor Brian Madden told the BBC, highlighting the efforts of leaders of the two parties to reduce tension.Sinn Féin councilor in North Belfast JJ Magee also celebrated the absence of incidents, but assured EFE that several houses on the nationalist side received impacts from objects thrown from the Protestant area in recent days.THE PROTOCOL INFLATES THE MOODLikewise, Magee recalled that the north of the capital was the scene at the beginning of the year of the worst disturbances in years, with serious clashes between young people from the two communities and attacks against the PSNI, a violence unleashed by the dissatisfaction of the unionists with the Protocol. Irish Brexit.Under this arrangement, the trade border is located in the Irish Sea as Northern Ireland has remained in the single market, so customs controls for goods from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) are made in Northern Irish ports, which has caused strong unrest in the unionist community.They fear that this new economic frontier will erode their ties with the UK, all the more so as the nationalists' historic goal to reunify Ireland has gained momentum after Brexit, rejected by the majority of Northern Irishmen in the 2016 referendum.In this climate of uncertainty, the cultural and identity claims of Protestants take on special importance this year, in which, in addition, the 12th of July coincides with the centenary of the creation of Northern Ireland."I believe that we can celebrate our culture and traditions with respect. But respect must be reciprocal," said Jeffrey Donaldson, the new leader of the DUP, a formation in crisis due to its internal tensions and the advance in the polls of Sinn Féin, formerly political arm of the now inactive Irish Republican Army (IRA)."They say it is culture and I accept it, but part of that culture leads to the 'peace lines'. Much remains to be done," replied Republican MP Gerry Kelly, a former IRA member.Since the signing of the peace agreement in 1998, the routes followed by the "orangemen" have been agreed upon by representatives of both communities with the Parade Commission, which encourages the passage of men in black suits, sticks in hand, bowler hats and The orange border around the neck is seen as a concession and not as an imposition.In this sense, some marches have been modified in recent days, restricting their passage through Catholic neighborhoods, which is not always well received by violent elements of the Protestant community. INCLUDES RESOURCE IMAGES OF THE FIREPLACE IN PORTADOWN (NIGHT OF JULY 9), THE CRAIGYHILL FIREPLACE IN LARNE (NIGHT OF JULY 11) AND FINALLY, RESOURCES OF TODAY'S JULY 12 ORANGIST MARCH, IN BELFAST.