Why Belfast’s troubled past made violence inevitable

The riots which brought mass disorder to the streets of Belfast on Tuesday night weren’t just a reaction to a brutal stabbing in the city the night before.According to Professor Ian Acheson, they were also an expression of the rage and anger felt by a divided community ignored by politicians and policy makers.The violence has been rightly condemned after houses were set alight and police cars attacked.But Professor Acheson – an expert in counter extremism – argues it shouldn’t come as any surprise that tensions over migration and social deprivation have once again boiled over.Mhari Aurora spoke to the author and journalist.