Paramilitaries remain embedded in Northern Ireland communities due to a range of factors including “ongoing political controversy”, a Westminster committee heard on Wednesday.
Giving evidence to the Commons’ Northern Ireland Affairs Committee during its "inquiry into the effect of the paramilitary groups on society in Northern Ireland", academics outlined how various groups still exercise “coercive control” on people and communities across the region.
MPs were told issues of socio economic disadvantage mixed with the legacy of identity politics and a lack of trust in police mean paramilitarism remains an ongoing problem decades after the Good Friday Agreement. The issue has a modern twist, however, with social media used now to issue threats and entice young people into street disorder, the committee was told.
