Belfast; Titanic, the Troubles and riots

From the Isle of Man, we had a short and pleasant trip to Belfast. The sun was shining, the wind was fair, entering the huge harbour went smoothly, and we got an excellent berth right in the centre of the city.

From our berth, we could see the very place where Titanic was built. Today, there is a modern museum there, with an interesting exhibition about the history of Belfast as one of the leading shipbuilding cities a hundred years ago — and, of course, an extensive exhibition about Titanic.

Belfast is, of course, also known for the Troubles. From the late 1960s and for about three decades, violent clashes involving Catholics and Protestants, as well as the police and the British Army, claimed more than 3,500 lives. We went on a walking tour, first with a Catholic guide through the Falls Road area, which was a Catholic stronghold, and then with a Protestant guide along the Shankill Road, a Protestant neighbourhood. Both our guides had been involved to the extent that they had spent time in jail, but today they are trying to move beyond the hatred and violence.

However, it was very clear that both sides see themselves as victims, and that both find it difficult to acknowledge the faults of their own side. Even today, a tall wall separates Falls Road and Shankill Road, and the few gates in it are locked at night.

As if the mood was not gloomy enough, racially motivated and anti-immigrant riots broke out in the city following a knife attack in North Belfast, allegedly committed by a Sudanese man. The whole city shut down after 4 p.m., and we could smell burning buses, cars and houses while watching helicopters and armoured police vehicles driving around in large columns.

We felt quite safe in the marina and in the city centre, but the atmosphere was tense and unsettling. With nothing to do in the afternoon and evening, we decided to leave earlier than planned for Scotland.

Belfast, The Troubles og optøjer

Fra Isle of Man havde vi en kort og fin tur til Belfast. Solen skinnede, vinden var god, indsejlingen til den enorme havn gik uden problemer, og vi fik en glimrende plads lige i centrum af byen.

Fra vores plads kunne vi se det sted, hvor Titanic blev bygget. I dag ligger der et moderne museum med en interessant udstilling om Belfasts historie som en af verdens førende skibsbygnings byer for hundrede år siden og naturligvis en omfattende udstilling om Titanic.

Belfast er selvfølgelig også kendt for The Troubles. Fra slutningen af 1960’erne og omkring tre årtier frem kostede voldelige sammenstød mellem katolikker og protestanter, samt politi og den britiske hær, mere end 3.500 mennesker livet. Vi var på en vandretur, først med en katolsk guide gennem Falls Road-området, som var en katolsk højborg, og derefter med en protestantisk guide langs Shankill Road, som var et protestantisk kvarter. Begge vores guider havde været involveret i en sådan grad, at de havde siddet i fængsel, men i dag forsøger de at komme videre fra hadet og volden.

Det var dog meget tydeligt, at begge sider ser sig selv som ofre, og at begge har svært ved at anerkende deres egen sides fejl. Selv i dag står der en høj mur mellem Falls Road og Shankill Road, og de få porte i muren bliver låst om natten.

Som om stemningen ikke var dyster nok, brød der race- og anti-immigrant-motiverede optøjer ud i byen efter et knivangreb i det nordlige Belfast, angiveligt begået af en sudanesisk mand. Hele byen lukkede ned efter klokken 16, og vi kunne lugte brændende busser, biler og huse, mens vi så helikoptere og pansrede politibiler køre rundt i store kolonner.

Vi følte os trygge i marinaen og i centrum af byen, men stemningen var anspændt og ubehagelig. Da der samtidig ikke var noget at lave om eftermiddagen og aftenen, besluttede vi at tage tidligere end planlagt videre mod Skotland.