I was seven , I cannot have many memories of what happened. But some time later I realized, like everybody else, that Germany, Europe and the world were changing . We were all hoping in a less distinct and more sympathetic and committed world to the cause of peace and border demolition.
Many things have been done, several important results have been achieved : the European Union, for instance, is a symbol of (imperfect) integration and freedom of circulation.
However, many walls are still up to divide people, families, friends, and since the fall of the Berlin wall many others have been built. Nowadays, separation barriers exist in 22 countries all over the world : Afghanistan, Botswana, Brunei, China, Cyprus , Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Korea, Morocco, Northern Ireland , Pakistan, Russia , Saudi Arabia, South Africa, S pain (Ceuta and Melilla) , Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States and Uzbekistan. Furthermore, the United Nations has constructed a demilitarized zone to stop Iraq to re-invade Kuwait.
Walls have been built for limiting immigration and/or illegal traffics and for conflict prevention. What they have achieved, in most cases, is increasing tension between the divided communities.
The case which catches the most my attention is the so-called " Peace Walls" in Belfast and Derry (Northern Ireland) . They are the last existing walls in the European Union (technically, Cyprus' and Ceuta and Melilla's walls divide EU area from non-EU area), and their stories talk about violated rights, ethnic and religious hate, resentment, grudge.
The stated purpose of the barriers is to minimize intercommunal sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics, of course. They were supposed to be temporary, but you know what? Not only all original walls are still there, but many others have been built. Actually, the first barriers were constructed in the early 1970s, following the outbreak of " The Troubles ". As above-mentioned, there were built as temporary structures because they were indeed meant to last only six months, but due to their (sadly) effective nature they have become more permanent, wider and longer . Originall y few in number, they have multiplied over the years, from 18 in the early 1990s to 40 today; in total they stretch over 21km. Most are located in Belfast. As a consequence, while Belfast - according to statistics - is an extremely safe city to visit, the walls constantly remind residents and visitors that this peace is fragile. Usually, each of the areas separated by the peace lines are almost identical: each is often characterised by poverty and unemployment. Housing tends to be poor, the urban fabric is often damaged with vandalism and what investment is made in its improvement seems insufficient. There is often a shortage of social provisions.
In 2008 a public discussion began about how and when the barriers could be removed . However, while the Berlin Wall came down after 28 years, Northern Ireland’s continue to stand, and there is little likelihood, at present, of Them Being Demolished.
"Ich bin ein Berliner - I am a Northern Irish"
Many things have been done, several important results have been achieved : the European Union, for instance, is a symbol of (imperfect) integration and freedom of circulation.
However, many walls are still up to divide people, families, friends, and since the fall of the Berlin wall many others have been built. Nowadays, separation barriers exist in 22 countries all over the world : Afghanistan, Botswana, Brunei, China, Cyprus , Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Korea, Morocco, Northern Ireland , Pakistan, Russia , Saudi Arabia, South Africa, S pain (Ceuta and Melilla) , Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States and Uzbekistan. Furthermore, the United Nations has constructed a demilitarized zone to stop Iraq to re-invade Kuwait.
Walls have been built for limiting immigration and/or illegal traffics and for conflict prevention. What they have achieved, in most cases, is increasing tension between the divided communities.
The case which catches the most my attention is the so-called " Peace Walls" in Belfast and Derry (Northern Ireland) . They are the last existing walls in the European Union (technically, Cyprus' and Ceuta and Melilla's walls divide EU area from non-EU area), and their stories talk about violated rights, ethnic and religious hate, resentment, grudge.
The stated purpose of the barriers is to minimize intercommunal sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics, of course. They were supposed to be temporary, but you know what? Not only all original walls are still there, but many others have been built. Actually, the first barriers were constructed in the early 1970s, following the outbreak of " The Troubles ". As above-mentioned, there were built as temporary structures because they were indeed meant to last only six months, but due to their (sadly) effective nature they have become more permanent, wider and longer . Originall y few in number, they have multiplied over the years, from 18 in the early 1990s to 40 today; in total they stretch over 21km. Most are located in Belfast. As a consequence, while Belfast - according to statistics - is an extremely safe city to visit, the walls constantly remind residents and visitors that this peace is fragile. Usually, each of the areas separated by the peace lines are almost identical: each is often characterised by poverty and unemployment. Housing tends to be poor, the urban fabric is often damaged with vandalism and what investment is made in its improvement seems insufficient. There is often a shortage of social provisions.
In 2008 a public discussion began about how and when the barriers could be removed . However, while the Berlin Wall came down after 28 years, Northern Ireland’s continue to stand, and there is little likelihood, at present, of Them Being Demolished.
"Ich bin ein Berliner - I am a Northern Irish"
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