How
favourable or unfavourable do you feel about people from the Protestant/Catholic
community?
NB: Square brackets indicate where the text was edited.
There are some people that won't mix with Protestants and many people
that wouldn't mind [to mix] but are afraid to say [this] because they
are afraid of what other people will think and say. Me personally,
I will mix with anyone. I have a caravan where we go a lot and socialise
most. Most of my mates are Protestants and we get along fine. They're
just the same as me but believe different things, but that should
not stop a friendship.
Personally, the Catholic people I have been in contact with are
no different that the Protestant ones and are good friends of mine,
but there are some Catholics and Protestants who make me feel threatened
and unwelcome. […] I used to have friends from my all-Protestant school
that were very anti-Catholic, which I am not. After the 11+ I went
to a mixed school and they went to all-Protestant schools, and now
we have very different views.
I go to an integrated school and I have found that some people are
fine with the different religions but other people aren't. There are
more Protestants than Catholics in my school and I have found that
some of the Protestant pupils dislike people because they are Catholic
and find it funny to call them 'Fenians' etc. The school is in a Protestant
area and the people in that area, although they know it's an integrated
school continue to believe it's a Catholic school and vandalise it
regularly. Also, the people from this village target the children
from the village that go to my school beating them up and calling
them 'Fenian lovers' etc.
Although I would send my children to a Catholic school, I would always
be tolerant of other religious views, I would discourage bigotry at
all times. This is what my parents have done and I now feel indifferent
but tolerant towards Protestants. I know many Protestants but treat
them like my Catholic friends, except for talking about politics or
football.
The majority of people, especially the young, don't care about Protestant
and Catholic relations. I was brought up to treat people as equals
no matter what their ethnic origin was.
The majority of the problems stem from the Protestant community.
The problems need to be resolved from the source. Children aren't
concerned with the reason why they dislike the opposite party but
have learned that it's just a way of life, brought up to believe that
those from the other side are a pollution to their minds. Proper teaching
of the history of Ulster should be taught to all, so children can
decide for themselves what to believe. People who don't know the basics
of their own faith shouldn't have an expressed opinion on the opposite
side.
I have been brought up in a mixed community and feel no bitterness
towards Catholics. My best friend is one. I believe it is down to
the parents to introduce their children to different religions, as
it tends to be the case that if the parents are bitter it usually
rubs off on their offspring, so unless we do this I can see no difference
in N. Ireland cross community relations.
Generally I feel that people in N. Ireland claiming to be part of
a certain religion, yet don't practice it, are hypocritical and are
causing tension between communities for the sake of it, or because
it's a tradition. Community relations in N Ireland are very territorial
for example if a Protestant enters a Catholic community they are taking
a very high risk of being attacked because they have a different religion.
I don't dislike members of the Protestant or Catholic community,
however I don't like extremist groups such as UVF, LVF or members
of Sinn Fein. My local area has been decorated with loyalist flags
etc and I don't feel this is necessary. I think it's important that
as children grow up they should learn to mix with others from different
communities and learn that they are no different.
The only reason I have a slight prejudice to Protestants is because
they are prejudiced towards me (and Catholics).
The Catholic community is always talking about compromise but yet
they wish to stop all Protestant parades, which is part of our culture.
Nobody is trying to stop the Catholic culture. Why is the Union Jack
not allowed to be displayed? It's our national flag, yet it is not
allowed to be seen, and yet a foreign flag like the tricolour is displayed
everywhere.
Although relations are getting better, I believe this will have to
improve further, as I still feel threatened today by people simply
because I am Catholic. I can't seem to enjoy 'summer nights out' because
roads are blocked by Protestant bands parading through my local town.
I am in a catholic band and we are allowed to parade once a year and
only for a short period of time! I can't understand why this is happening
still in the year 2003! Equal rights are needed, and fast!!
Community relations in N. Ireland won't improve as long as a difference
is being made in favour of the catholic people. They have been given
too much of everything e.g. grants, removal of flags etc.
Catholic schools appear to get more funding than Protestant ones.
The way Sinn Fein has control over N. Ireland with the IRA is appalling.
[They] shouldn't have a member as an education minister, as it has
been [proven] he has given most money and new schools to Catholic
areas. [I] cannot go into Belfast wearing a Protestant-related shirt
while Catholics can wear Celtic ones. The police service is a shambles,
with this 50-50 idea should be scrapped. Young people shouldn't be
bitter towards other religions.
[…] I believe relations with Catholics and Protestants will never
be good because of the way NI children are brought up. I have a mum
who is Protestant and a dad who is Catholic and they never brought
me up to hate the other people, but yet I still feel that the Protestant
community hates us Catholics. Also I did history GCSE one month ago.
The NI section made me want to join politics and to represent the
Catholic community.
I have some friends who are Protestants but the reason why I would
like to live in a mixed area is because some Protestants can be bitter.
The Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland really need to
sort their attitudes out towards each other. I hang about with Catholics
and find absolutely nothing wrong with them, so if I can do it so
can others. As for the people of the UVF, UDA, IRA etc. 'GET A LIFE'.
The problem between these two communities lies with those who are
not interested in religion as Christians. They simply see it as a
status. The roof of our problems are the sectarian organisations -
not the orange order as many people may think. For example, why have
the orange marches only become a problem in recent years? The sectarian
Catholics are using this as a weapon to get their own way, as far
[as] the North-South division is concerned. The sectarian Protestants
and Catholics do not have any problem with each other, they simply
hold different Christian beliefs. Too much spotlight is put on the
negative relations. I have grown up watching news and assuming Catholics
will hate me, which I have realised is not true. My family has no
problem being friendly towards Catholics.
I run about with Catholics, but if I was to meet a real bitter Catholic
I could be just as bitter or maybe even worse.
I think it is a disgrace for such importance to be put into religion
in N. Ireland. I lived in East Belfast for years and don't feel any
hatred towards other religions.
I think there is a necessity to look at the broader picture in Northern
Ireland since 1921. It is my belief that Unionists today are only
too keen to emphasise a 'democracy' in Northern Ireland since partition.
I would like to ask the question, what about the democracy back in
1918 when Sinn Fein won the overwhelming majority throughout the country
of Ireland, yet the people's call for independence was inevitably
rejected (as it has been throughout the past 800 years). I also wonder
if Unionism would be as quick to emphasise 'democracy' if the growing
Nationalist community exceeded the Unionist population? Furthermore,
I cannot understand why the power-sharing government in the early
70's was 'put down' by Unionism when Republican Sinn Fein was non-existent
in politics but instead moderate Nationalists like John Hume (who
were not categorised as terrorists) were those in government. I've
come to the conclusion that Republicanism is not the problem today,
but is a result of Unionist disposition towards superiority.
