History of Censorship in Northern Ireland
The history of censorship in Northern Ireland is deeply intertwined with the region's tumultuous political landscape and sectarian conflict, particularly during the period known as the Troubles, which lasted approximately thirty years from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. Initially established in 1920 through the Government of Ireland Act, Northern Ireland faced escalating tensions between its Protestant and Catholic communities, especially following the violent civil rights protests in 1968. The imposition of direct rule from the UK government in 1972 led to increased censorship, as authorities sought to combat terrorism from groups like the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Ulster Defense Association (UDA).
Key legislative measures, such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Emergency Provisions Act, imposed strict controls on media coverage and the dissemination of information regarding terrorism and government officials. These laws restricted freedom of speech and limited media portrayal of paramilitary groups, reflecting the urgent need for security amid rising violence. Despite the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, which marked a significant move towards peace and the establishment of a new government, issues of censorship persisted.
Even in recent years, the region has faced challenges regarding freedom of expression, notably with the refusal to adopt the Defamation Bill aimed at reforming libel laws, which has left Northern Ireland with more restrictive speech regulations compared to the rest of the UK. Thus, the history of censorship in Northern Ireland serves as a lens through which to understand the complex interplay between security, governance, and civil liberties in a region shaped by conflict and division.
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History of Censorship in Northern Ireland
Description: Integral part of the United Kingdom that shares an island with the Republic of Ireland
Significance: Since the early 1970’s the tense relationship between Protestant and Roman Catholic citizens has given rise to restrictions on free speech and censorship measures
Although settled by British Protestants in the seventeenth century, Northern Ireland did not come into political existence until the 1920 Government of Ireland Act. This act provided for separate Home Rule for two parts of Ireland with the North consisting of the six counties of Ulster and the rest encompassing three counties later known as the Republic of Ireland. In 1968 violent protests and conflict over the rule of Northern Ireland began, and ushered in the thirty-year period of unrest known as the Troubles. After a protest by the Roman Catholic minority, the government of the United Kingdom suspended the provincial government in 1972 and imposed direct rule, on Northern Ireland. In a referendum vote, Protestants voted to remain under the United Kingdom’s rule rather than join the Republic of Ireland.
In the aftermath Roman Catholics boycotted and hostilities ensued. Despite an attempt to place four Catholics on a coalition assembly, which replaced parliament and an eleven member executive committee, the assembly did not succeed. After the reinforcement of direct rule, violence erupted once more between Protestants and Catholics. This renewal erupted in decades of terrorism, bloodshed, and death. In 1985 an assembly formed which allowed the Republic of Ireland to have a voice in Northern Ireland’s government in respect to unification of its two opposing religious factions. No unity was achieved and the assembly dissolved. Bloodshed ceased during a peace agreement between 1993 and 1996. Renewed violence occurred again in 1996.
Much of the censorship that occurred in Northern Ireland resulted from the prevailing violence. Terrorism posed a major threat and security tightened, which included daily searches to rout out terrorist activities by groups such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA), its legal political organization the Sinn Féin, and the Ulster Defense Association (UDA). Designed to aid in stemming the violence of the IRA, the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act of 1976 allowed for police to detain suspects for up to seven days. The 1978 Emergency Provisions Act was designed to protect government officials from becoming terrorist targets by banning the collection, recording, and publishing of any information regarding those officials. All segments of the media were prohibited from airing any view of terrorist groups, such as the IRA, and documentary programs were to be stopped if they portrayed these groups. Censorship on all media prevailed to ensure that these restrictions were enforced. This act was repealed in 1991.
Security forces consisted of the British Army regiments, local police called the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and the Royal Ulster Rangers (RUC) or local Army. These groups have been criticized for their rough treatment of people during checks and searches. The prisons have also come under suspicion for treatment of prisoners that may be affiliated with terrorist attacks. Outside of terrorist threats, censorship followed other prohibitions according to earlier British laws.
In April 1998 the Good Friday Agreement was signed. It officially ended the violence (by requiring that paramilitary groups disarm themselves) and established the Northern Ireland assembly, made up of both Catholics and Protestants, to govern Northern Ireland. The signing of the agreement is considered the end of the Troubles. So-called peace walls had been built in Belfast to divide Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods; construction of these walls continued after the signing of the agreement to segregate the factions. Although the violence has largely stopped and participation in paramilitary groups is illegal, the animosity and periodic violence still persists. The IRA announced in 2005 that all its weapons had been decommissioned. In 2007 the Northern Irish assembly reached a historic milestone when the party leaders of Sinn Féin and the Protestant Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) formed a coalition government.
While Northern Ireland has made strides in terms of peace and freedom, there are still limits, particularly in regards to freedom of speech. In 2013 the Defamation Bill was passed by UK Parliament to reform the United Kingdom's libel laws, which had previously been strict enough to silence opinions and debate. England and Wales accepted the bill, but Northern Ireland did not and government officials stated they had no intention to review the law. As a result, freedom of expression remains significantly more limited in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Bibliography
"Defamation Act 2013 Aims to Improve Libel Laws." BBC. BBC, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2015
Hammer, Joshua. "In Northern Ireland, Getting Past the Troubles." Smithsonian. Smithsonian.com, March 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
"IRA Arms Decommissioned." Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 Sept. 2005. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Rowley, Tom. "Timeline of Northern Ireland Troubles: From Conflict to Peace Process." Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 19 May 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Sharp, Robert. "Northern Ireland." The Libel Reform Campaign. Libel Reform Campaign, 9 March 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.