Unrest escalates in Northern Ireland as UK tensions resurface

Violent clashes have broken out between police and pro-British unionist protesters after a night of rioting in the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast. The violence erupted on Thursday after hundreds of young Irish protesters gathered from early evening in a western neighborhood in Belfast, which has over the past days been the scene of unrest over Brexit and domestic politics. Masked and in hooded tops, the protesters hurled petrol bombs and stones at riot police who in turn fired water cannons to contain the chaotic situation. The unrest started last week in the pro-UK unionist community, where tensions are high due to new post-Brexit trade rules some feel are dividing the region from Britain. The restrictions are to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and European Union member, Ireland, with critics saying the barriers will strain the region’s ties with the rest of the UK. British and Irish governments as well as local political leaders have condemned the