Why Violence is Never the Answer to Political Conflict

Politics is an inherently divisive topic. But inrecent years, the political arena appears to be getting more violent.

World events, whether it is the conflict in Gaza or domestic politics, are leading to an ever increasing divisive and polarised society. It is a society where people seem to no longer be able to debate issues and differences of opinion, but rather resort to violence to get their point across. Passionate debate has given way to, in many circumstances the gun. The assassination of Charlie Kirk and extreme violence against other political figures should be a wake up call but has been used by too many, to call for more division and hate. I like many people, may strongly disagree with much of what Charlie Kirk believed in, but opposition to someone’s views should never take the form of deadly violence.

Data from Reuters shows that the USA has seen the largest surge in politically motivated attacks since the 1970’s. In the UK meanwhile, Ipsos statistics from June this year show that 80% of Britons are concerned about people "resorting to violence instead of coming together peacefully to solve our disagreements”. This is a 9% increase from the same period before the horrific July 2024 Southport attack.

Social media and misinformation are playing a significant part in this trend. It not only distorts reality but can isolate individuals to within their own echo chamber. Alongside this is an apathy toward traditional political systems and their ability to change people’s lives. It is therefore not surprising that authoritarian and populist figures have emerged to challenge liberal and progressive values. Socio-economic factors therefore also play a significant part. Where people lose hope and feeling justice, violence can easily take root. In Northern Ireland discrimination against the catholic community has been cited as one of many causes of theTroubles. By addressing people’s concerns rather than dismissing them as irrelevant or unworthy of being listened to, building common ground becomes a lot easier. Arguably, it is often when people feel marginalised that extreme viewpoints, arguments or apparent ‘solutions’ become more appealing.

In Northern Ireland we know all too well that violence feeds violence, and from violence no lasting solutions can be found.When people try to understand where others are coming from and attempt to seethe fellow human in others this can be a powerful first step.  

Ultimately, you don’t have to agree with other people to get along with them.

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