Post on 29-Mar-2023
"Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence –
The Role of Victims and Perpetrators"
University College Cork, 30 March 2015
Young Unionists in Northern Ireland:
Using Political Violence in Search for Identity
Cathrin Ruppe
Université Rennes 2
cathrinruppe@yahoo.de
Cathrin Ruppe1 30 March 2015
Starting Point for Research
Belfast “Flag Protests” 2012/2013
• Majority of Unionist protesters were young people
• Rioting might be due to “boredom” or thrill-seeking
• But: Strong undercurrent of sectarianism
Why does a generation born and/or raised after
the Good Friday Agreement reacts so
strongly and violently to political changes?
Cathrin Ruppe4 30 March 2015
Questions of Identity
Good Friday Agreement (1998)
• Support by Protestants fluctuated and stood at 57% at time of
referendum
• Both communities recognize Northern Ireland as part of the
United Kingdom.
• Citizens of Northern Ireland can identify themselves as
Irish, British or both.
� For Unionists, this means “that the Britishness in Ireland must be
negotiated, not imposed” (D. Morrow)
� Unionists fear a loss of identity
Cathrin Ruppe5 30 March 2015
Questions of Identity
But what is identity actually?
Relevant for this research: Social identity
• System of orientation to help and create an individual’s position in society
• Concept of ‘self’ by inclusion in social groups
• The social groups offer clues regarding emotional, evaluative and • The social groups offer clues regarding emotional, evaluative and
psychological correlations
• People are naturally motivated to evaluate themselves positively
• Evaluation is based on comparison to other people/groups
� People evaluate their social group positively and others more negatively
Cathrin Ruppe6 30 March 2015
Questions of Identity
Identities in Northern Ireland
• Young people tend to “copy” social identities expressed by family and
friends (collective remembering)
Studies show:
• Parents and family members in NI deny influencing their children in terms
of social divisions and prejudices
• People who experienced the Troubles first-hand are actually more prone to
soften the boundaries of their national and social identity
Cathrin Ruppe7 30 March 2015
Questions of Identity
Identities in Northern Ireland
• Deeply divided societies create strong social identities
• Young people have a higher need for social identification
• Perceived threats to one’s own social group (ingroup) and hence identity
can result in violence against the outgroupcan result in violence against the outgroup
What kind of (perceived) threats
could lead to violence by young Unionists?
Cathrin Ruppe8 30 March 2015
Possible Reasons for Unionist Political Violence
• Economic factors
Recession, working-class backgrounds
• Education factors
Low regard for education
• Social factors
No / minimal contact to Catholics
• Political factors
Dissatisfaction with Unionist parties and British government
Cathrin Ruppe9 30 March 2015
Possible Reasons for Unionist Political Violence
Good Friday Agreement (1998)
Northern Ireland stays part of the United Kingdom as long as the majority of
the people of Northern Ireland wished to remain a part of the UK
Census results (2001 -> 2012)
Cathrin Ruppe10 30 March 2015
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Identified as
Protestant
Identified as
Catholic
2001
2012
Conclusion
Question:
Why does a generation born and/or raised after the Good Friday Agreement
reacts so strongly and violently to political changes?
Possible Answer(s):
• Threats to Unionists’ social identity lead to the violent defence of the
former or perceived status quo
• Young people are prone to feel more insecure about status or relevance in
society
• Unionists feel ‘cheated’ by Good Friday Agreement as aftermath is not
what they hoped for / expected
Cathrin Ruppe11 30 March 2015