Belfast Locked Down Ahead of Biden’s Visit

Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland, is currently under high security measures as the country prepares for the first-ever official visit of U.S. President Joe Biden. There are concerns for severe dissident republican terror threats in the city which led to some parts of Belfast city center being completely shut down, and the police are doing extensive search and security operations in the area. Over 300 officers from the UK have been mobilized to secure the presidential visit, and security vehicles can be seen lined up in marked and unmarked rows around the Ulster University area where Biden will give a speech on Wednesday. The U.S. President will touch down in Belfast today, and he is going to be welcomed by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Biden will also meet with Northern Ireland’s main political parties despite an ongoing government deadlock over refusal to accept post-Brexit trading checks. However, he ruled out visiting the Stormont buildings over the political impasse. The purpose of the visit is to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace and stability to Northern Ireland.

‘American Influence’

The former Prime Minister and Labour Leader, Sir Tony Blair, underscored the significance of President Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland while cautioning the use of American influence on the ongoing issue surrounding the country with a sense of sensitivity and care. Blair, who played a key part in securing the peace deal in 1998, stated that “The Americans can play a real role, but it’s something that you need to do carefully because there’s a difference between influencing and pressurizing, and the one tends to be positive and the other can be negative.”

Commenting on Twitter on the peace agreement, U.S. President Biden said, “25 years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace. The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability. I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the U.S. commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity.”

Ongoing Security Alert

With strong community intelligence that dissident republicans were planning to carry out some form of an attack on police officers ahead of President Biden’s visit, the PSNI issued a warning earlier. Rioting had broken out in Derry city in the province following an anti-agreement republican parade on Easter Monday. Some disturbances were nonetheless reported, but none that threatened to spiral out of control.

The PSNI conducted a large scale security operation surrounding the Derry city cemetery where Monday’s republican parade had taken place. The operation did not detain Biden’s visit, and there has been no official confirmation from the security forces.