Sociologist, dad, attenuated Jew, nervous anti-fascist, rootless cosmopolitan, drum and bass fan, out of practice salsa dancer, asphalt botaniser, glutton, insomniac, hearing impaired, union member, living in London
Ben Gidley
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It’s notable that the knife victim was from the Republican community; if he hadn’t been, I’m sure the violence would’ve been worse.
Notable too that the Tommy Robinson noticed this; he has Irish Catholic family, while the football firms he is tied into have strong links to Loyalist politics…
Some of the important features of last night include: the highly organised role of Loyalist units drawing on long-honed skills and techniques; the passive support for the violence within part of the Republican machine; and police toleration of the violence for fear of inflaming the sectarian wound.
Second, the violence in Northern Ireland does not map neatly onto watch we’ve seen in Great Britain. The ecology of sectarianism, police/community relations and housing pressure play out very differently. ⤵️
Very good reporting by @benquinn75.bsky.social, unusual amongst UK legacy media journalists in really understanding the contemporary far right.
Also quotes the wisdom of @joemulhall.bsky.social
Couple of additional points I think are important in the replies⤵️
First, I think it’s really vital to emphasise the extent to which minoritised population in Northern Ireland (even more than in the rest of the UK) are experiencing fear and ontological insecurity — and indeed that that is the very purpose of this violence…
bsky.app/profile/tril...
… Final speaker of the evening Shirin Rai on living in a careless society and harms this does, before opening up to discussion.
Powerful important statement from @migrantsrights.bsky.social: migrantsrights.org.uk/2026/06/10/s...
I don’t think I’ve ever had my research quoted in a sermon before but this by Rabbi Lev Taylor of Kingston Liberal is a lovely text that resonates with a lot of things I’ve been thinking about recently in the context of the current antisemitism wave
simlev.blog/2026/06/03/s...
It’s taken me a while to get this online (sorry folks) but you can register now and it’ll be amazing.
Migrants’ Rights Network stands in full solidarity with migrant and racialised communities in Belfast subjected to coordinated racist violence last night: homes have been burned, families terrorised, ...
Social Scientists Against the Hostile Environment conference underway. @donnythered.bsky.social introduction and first speaker @trillingual.bsky.social talking about how the rising right has reshaped immigration politics
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-hostil...
