Rising Paramilitary Violence in Northern Ireland: Recent Attacks and Grooming of Youth.
Young people in deprived areas of Northern Ireland are being "exploited and groomed" into criminal violence by paramilitary groups, according to Dr Colm Walsh of Queen's University Belfast. The academic said some children are routinely targeted to "incite and engage in criminality". The comments came after petrol bombs were thrown at officers by young people at an illegal republican parade in Londonderry on Monday. Dr Walsh said many children engaging in those acts did not fully understand the danger they were putting themselves in and more had to be done to help make them aware they were being exploited.