Belfast, a city of walls, fences and barbed wire

At first glance Belfast is lively and peaceful city with modern shopping streets and centres. People in town are like elsewhere on a Saturday morning, drinking their coffees and look inside shop windows. However, when you look more closely you'll see that fences are somewhat higher and equipped with different types of spikes and barbed wires. Then you see murals, symbols, slogans and flags. There are two kinds of people living here: The Republicans which are usually ethnic irish catholics, and the Royalists or sometimes which usually are ethnic english and protestants.

In Victoria Square Shopping Centre, everybody shares the same ideology: Consumerism

There is a historically long and chronic conflict between the parties, and the recent history of the conflict is referred to as "The Troubles". "The Troubles" started in the late 1960s and ended with Belfast Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The warfare and violence was led by paramilitary groups on both sides. 'The Provisional Irish Republican Army'  (PIRA, or mostly known as IRA) is  internationally most known and regarded as a terrorist organisation by the Brittish Government.

When IRA let down their weapons in 1998, the 'Loyalists' put up this mural sending a message that they did the same.

Both parties and their paramilitarian groups uses murals in their propaganda which still are highly visible in the city.

UVF is the most known and violent 'Loyalists' paramilitarian gorup

Bobby Sands was a PIRA leader who died in prison after hungerstriking for political rights  

Wall separating Republican neighbourhood and Royalist area are painted with graffiti

When walking in parts of Belfast, one is constantly reminded of the conclict. There are huge areas of 'No Mans Land' or peace lines between Republican neighbourhoods and Royalist areas. These areas is frequently patrolled by heavily armored police vehicles. In addition the government have set up huge gates around which easily can be closed and separate people if something should happen. 

Belfast Police car, made for 'peace keeping'

The walls are perfect for graffiti, and artists and organisations from all over the world have decorated the peace lines with graffiti and street art, often sending a message to the people of Northern Ireland.

International organisations for peace and human rights works for stabilizing and develop the peace

There is relatively quite when it comes to political violence in Belfast nowadays, but it does not feel peaceful and I got this feeling of walking around in a huge open prison because of the walls and fences. There is probably a very long way for the people of Belfast to reach a level of trust that could tear down walls and fences .