Flags that threaten

By Erin Harty, DIS Cross Cultural Communications Student, spring 2015

I was gripping the banister, leaning as far out as I could without making the old rail squeak. The school had called again, and mom was on the phone downstairs. They were talking about my older brother, of that I was sure, but what he had done I did not know. The only thing I could understand was that my mother thought someone or something was “ridiculous”, which her diplomatic way of saying stupid. Lots of things seemed to be “ridiculous” lately, and it all started with my brothers new skate shoes with hot red laces.

The teachers felt that my brothers shoelaces had too many negative connotations and that he would need to change them immediately or the school would be forced to issue punishment. At that age, I could not understand how red laces could be anything but a fashion statement. There were girls in my classes with a variety of colors; everything from hot pink to sparkly green. My mother explained to me that in some places shoelaces, hats, and bandanas were worn to express gang affiliation and although that was not my brothers intention, having those laces could make other students and faculty feel threatened. It was’t until a few weeks ago, on a class field trip to Ireland, that I finally gained a new perspective on those laces and better understood how they could be dangerous.

A month ago, my cross-cultural communications class visited Belfast, London-Derry, and Dublin to gain a better understanding of the conflicts between two cultural groups living in Northern Ireland. These groups have several names; Catholics or Nationalists and the Protestants, Unionists, or Loyalists. Historically, these groups have been violent adversaries. The Troubles, which began in the late 1960’s, were the peak of tensions between the two groups resulting in riots, crime, and killings on both sides. Although some believe that conflicts between these two groups ended with the “Good Friday” Agreement in 1998, many say deep-rooted tension still exists in portions of the city and especially amongst certain generations.

Before we arrived, I myself could hardly believe in the continued existence of so much seemingly unwarranted hate between two groups. Even upon arriving in Belfast, the topics of nationalism and the spiral of mistrust between groups seemed out of place in such a peaceful and bustling urban center. However, all that changed when I found myself standing in a Catholic neighborhood among all the small brick houses and seeing the peace-wall loom like a black cloud over everything. At this point, we were on a guided tour of the Falls and Shankill Roads; the epicenter of much of the violence during The Troubles. Today, the streets are lined with flags and murals memorializing men and women who have died for their cause, and stranger yet, those who have killed for the very same. Murderers and martyrs are commemorated on both sides of the wall, and yet, many are under the impression that Belfast has moved on.

Have things really changed or are the conflicts between these groups still alive and well? And to what extent? How can we, as outsiders, possibly tell? These were questions we were asked to answer through the course of our trip. By identifying and investing cultural symbols and common discourses we were better able to understand the current state of the conflicts between the Nationalist and Loyalist groups in Belfast.

It was after a talk from Dominique Brian, an anthropologist specializing in symbols as they reflect culture in Belfast, that I really began to see the continued existence of the Nationalist and Loyalist conflicts and apply some context to what the different symbols mean to both sides. The major symbols that Dominique focused on were the different flags. He talked about how these flags were made of symbols to draw power from the their existing connotations and become new symbols themselves. References were made to nations, religions, governments, sports teams, and even paramilitary groups. Especially in the case of the paramilitary references, some of these symbols are a firm reminder of violence and cause fear and anger in the other side.

Unionist Flags

Union Jack

Ulster Banner

Irish Nationalist flags

Tricolor

Harp Flag Variation (Ireland Forever)

Paramilitary Flags

Nationalist/Catholic: Irish Republican Army

Loyalist/Protestant: Ulster Volunteer Force

At first glance, these flags may seem harmless. However, when put into the context of the recent history of Belfast these flags take on a whole new meaning. The current flyers of these flags are not the only ones associated with these symbols. The murderers and martyrs painted on the walls of the Falls and Shankill roads also claimed these flags as their own. The flying of any of these flags is loaded with historic context going back to the days of riots and civilian deaths. By choosing to fly these flags, people are electing to mark themselves with the preconceived notions tied to these flags. Especially in the case of the paramilitary flags, these symbols are perceived as warnings marking the territory of the Nationalist and Loyalist groups.

Gang Culture
It may seem odd at first to associate segregation and intimidation with a flag, especially in the United States where there is a strong unifying sense of patriotism associated with the flag. But when looking at the context surrounding these symbols in comparable conflicts in the United States, the feelings and sentiments associated with these flags becomes more easily understood. Therefore, to understand demarcation of territory using Northern Irish flags, it may help to think about American gangs and the various symbols they use to mark their territory.

In the United States, and especially around large cities, gang culture is not unfamiliar. Even outsiders recognize deep rooter conflict between groups, for examples the Crips and the Bloods. To demarcate their territory and identify other members, gangs have adapted a complex system of signs and symbols associated with each particular group.

To better understand the extreme detail and subtly of these symbols, read the ethnographic study about female gang members called Homegirls. In this novel, an anthropologist investigates the signs and symbols school girls use to identify their allegiance to different gangs. Things as simple as the way they put on eye liner or the color of their shoelaces can demarcate different gang affiliations. The anthropologists goes into vast depth to understand the number of seemingly subtle ways theI mark identification talking about where they hang out during free periods, their style, and their slang.

These different expressions can seem harmless out of context, like a set of red shoelaces at a quiet suburban middle school. But in other parts of the U.S., these are clear symbols that tap into a long history of gang violence and battles over territory. It is through this lense, a context that accounts for historic violence and perpetual fear between groups, that the Northern Irish flags must be viewed.

To sum it up simply: Conflicts like these are deep-rooted, self-perpetuating, and to a degree inevitable. Naturally as humans, we create “us” and “them” identities subconsciously everyday. We do it when pledging allegiance to our flag, cheering for our favorite sports team, or even choosing between a mac or pc. We are everything we associate with, and equally we are everything we are not. The Nationalists and Loyalists are no different.

The past the Northern Irish groups have shared is violent and still widely remembered by those who were involved or parented by the participants. However, there is hope for change. Through the course of our trip, almost every person we met shared with us their dreams for a peaceful future and how they were working to achieve that. For some, that is working toward the expansion of integrated schools in and around Belfast and for others that is leading tours focused on helping outsiders understand the reality of living in conflicted territory. And more inspiring still are the decisions made by the younger generation to recognize the place they grew up in, knowing what that means, and choosing a way to counter the culture that they grew up in. This especially was made clear to me by a young man I met at a Belfast club: “I am an atheist. My mom is from the Shankill, and my dad lived in her same neighborhood. That’s where I grew up, but I won’t go back until the walls come down. I don’t want to be associated with all of that…that’s my parents’ war.”