Northern Ireland Related Terrorism

The document provides an overview of Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT), tracing the conflict from the 1921 partition and 'The Troubles' to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. It details the ideologies and activities of proscribed dissident Republican groups (such as the New IRA and CIRA) and Loyalist paramilitaries (including the UVF and UDA). The guide also highlights the role of social media in amplifying sectarian hate, the emergence of anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ mobilisations, and the impact of foreign disinformation campaigns in exacerbating domestic divisions.

• Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) remains a persistent threat in the UK, with the UK Government recently increasing the threat level from moderate to substantial.
• Dissident Republican groups, including the IRA, CIRA, and INLA, are proscribed terrorist organisations that reject the Belfast Agreement and seek a united Ireland through armed struggle, primarily targeting law enforcement and infrastructure.
• Loyalist paramilitary groups, such as the UVF, UDA, LVF, and RHC, are proscribed organisations that use violence and organised crime to maintain Northern Ireland's union with the United Kingdom.
• The 1998 Belfast Agreement (Good Friday Agreement) ended three decades of conflict that resulted in over 3,500 deaths, establishing a power-sharing government and a non-partisan police force (PSNI).
• Social media platforms are used by proscribed groups to recruit members and share propaganda, often circumventing bans by using alternative names or framing the glorification of terrorists as historical commemorations.
• Recent tensions among Loyalists have been exacerbated by the 2016 Brexit deal, specifically the Windsor Framework and new trade arrangements, which some feel undermine their British identity.
• There is an increase in offline sectarian hate crimes and the emergence of anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ mobilisations, including protests targeting hotels housing refugees.
• A Russian-linked disinformation campaign in 2019 used fake Facebook profiles to spread false narratives intended to deepen domestic divisions and tensions between Northern Ireland and the UK.

APA

Institute for Strategic Dialogue (2024). Northern Ireland Related Terrorism. https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-explainer/northern-ireland-related-terrorism/

Chicago

Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Northern Ireland Related Terrorism. 2024. https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-explainer/northern-ireland-related-terrorism/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |title=Northern Ireland Related Terrorism |date=15 January 2024 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-explainer/northern-ireland-related-terrorism/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforstrategicdialogue2024northern, author = {{Institute for Strategic Dialogue}}, title = {{Northern Ireland Related Terrorism}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-explainer/northern-ireland-related-terrorism/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }