The situation is normalising in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is increasingly becoming like a normal British province now that several Protestant loyalist groups have destroyed their weapons arsenals, writes the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant: "Even the most die-hard cynics are now convinced that the insane period of violence is over. Catholics and Protestants have been sitting together in the government since 2007. Not so long ago that was just as unimaginable as Israelis and Palestinians deciding to share the reins of power. It works, it seems. ... With this historical disarming, the province has now become more normal. Fewer and fewer Northern Irish have problems with neighbours of the other confession. At the same time, however, it is striking that xenophobia and racism are growing. Around one hundred Romanians, mostly Roma, were recently chased out of a Protestant neighbourhood in Belfast. Some of them were so taken by fear that they left the country. ... From murder to racism, cynics will say that in any case it's an improvement."

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