A bus was set on fire amid tension and violent clashes in Northern Ireland over post-Brexit trade rules

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A bus was set on fire amid tension and violent clashes in Northern Ireland over post-Brexit trade rules
Police vehicles are seen behind a hijacked bus burns on the Shankill Road as protests continue in Belfast, Northern Ireland, April 7, 2021.REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
  • A bus and several cars were set on fire during violent clashes in Belfast on Wednesday.
  • There are ongoing clashes between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland.
  • The clashes come amid rising tensions over Brexit and post-Brexit trade rules.
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A bus and several cars were set on fire in Belfast on Wednesday as unionists and nationalists clashed with each other and police officers during the latest of consecutive nights of unrest in the Northern Ireland city.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Roberts told the Associated Press that on Wednesday hundreds of people gathered on both sides of the the concrete "peace wall," which separates Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist neighborhoods.

He said 55 police officers have been injured since the start of unrest last week.

The violent demonstrations broke out over post-Brexit trade rules that have raised tensions in the Protestant and Catholic power-sharing government in Belfast.

With the UK leaving the European Union, the new UK-EU trade deal has imposed border checks, causing unionists to accuse London of abandoning them.

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