Those behind the car bomb do not speak for the people of Derry – we will never go back to violence

The explosion of a car bomb in the middle of Derry on Saturday night has caused shock in the city, and drawn national attention back to Northern Ireland for all the wrong reasons.

A warning was called in, but police had already spotted the suspicious vehicle outside the city’s courthouse, and cleared the area before it exploded. The incident has been condemned by political leaders, and by locals who have shared their anger on social media.

This attack is being linked to dissident republicans, who broke away from the mainstream consensus around the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. They still believe in using violence to bring about a united Ireland. A widely shared Facebook post suggested the bomb marked 100 years since the beginning of Ireland’s War of Independence.

This was a reckless, pointless attack on fellow citizens, who have left the dark days of violence behind them. Chilling CCTV footage showed a group of teenagers casually walking past the car before the alarm was raised. What would have been achieved had any of them been injured, or killed?

Today there are more worrying developments, with vehicles being hijacked in the city by masked men.

Those involved in these acts need to realise once and for all that the people of Northern Ireland have rejected violence of any sort. Just over 20 years ago, we agreed that democracy and power sharing was the only way forward.

When news of this attack broke on Saturday night, many people leapt to make ill informed comments linking it to Brexit. Put simply, the perpetrators of this attack do not care about whether or not Northern Ireland stays in a backstop. They simply thrive on pursuing their violent agenda wherever they see discord or uncertainty.

Indeed, political leaders in Sinn Fein and the DUP might reflect on how easily violence can rise up to fill the political vacuum they have allowed to grow across the past two years, with no functioning government at Stormont.

Politicians in London should take note too, as they pursue a Brexit which could cause major disruption in Northern Ireland. This incident is a timely reminder that the peace we enjoy is fragile. When we warn of the dangers that lurk beneath the surface, we must be heard and taken seriously.

Those behind this attack would surely claim they want a united Ireland – but they are out of step with the majority of people in Derry, nationalist and republican, who want to achieve that reunification at the ballot box.

This is a highly politicised city, where young people speak as eloquently on issues of the day as the politicians they elect. They know that all issues – from reunification, to Brexit and the border, to basic social justice – are best dealt with through peaceful, democratic engagement.

And things are moving in their favour. Never before has Irish unity been higher on the agenda, nor has achieving it seemed more realistic. This outbreak of violence from the extreme fringes only does a disservice to the legitimate, pan-nationalist movement which is changing our island for the better. It needs to end now.

Whatever your political goals, they will never be achieved through the kind of senseless act we saw on Saturday night. The people of Derry have rejected violence, and they’re never going back.