As the November 2024 election approaches, many are discussing the threat of political violence. I recently joined a group of 25 faith and community leaders from across the United States on a trip to Northern Ireland focused on the same topic: exploring the aftermath of the 30 years of violence known as “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland. The trip was co-sponsored by the Carter Center and Rethinking Conflict, a nonprofit organization that works on conflict transformation, peacebuilding, and reconciliation.
Meeting with a range of Northern Irish leaders, including victims of political violence, terrorism and bombings, our group got a glimpse into an abyss — of a community splitting into two armed camps, groups that dehumanized each other, and then trying to pick up the pieces. The vivid images of violence, destruction, fear and trauma will stay in my memory for a long time.
The Rev. Gary Mason, a Methodist pastor who founded Rethinking Conflict in 2015 and has organized most of our meetings for us, gave us some perspective on the scale of this violence: The Northern Ireland conflict left more than 3,500 people dead and more than 47,000 injured in a country of just 1.5 million people. If the same level of conflict were to occur in the United States, the casualties would exceed 9 million and the deaths would exceed 750,000.
Trouble: Some people shed tears
The Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, brought peace and compromise to a divided Northern Ireland. The people we met expressed deep gratitude for the sustained, bipartisan role the United States played in achieving this peace. President Clinton became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Northern Ireland in 1995, and appointed Senator George Mitchell of Maine to chair the peace talks.
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The peace agreement contained compromises in many areas, including the disposal of arms, a commitment to “exclusively democratic and peaceful means for resolving differences over political issues,” the formation of a new government structure, and many other solutions to support economic opportunity and inclusion for both Catholic/nationalists and Protestant/unionists in Northern Ireland going forward.
But it wasn’t the details of the peace that stayed with us.
We heard from people on both sides who lost family members who, even 30 years later, still shed tears when talking about the deaths of their loved ones. We heard from Catholic taxi drivers who are still afraid to drive through the Protestant parts of town. We saw the wall that still separates the Catholic and Protestant parts of town, reinforced twice and made taller, with its gates closed at night. We stayed at the Europa Hotel, which was bombed more than 30 times during the years of the Northern Ireland conflict and holds the ignoble record of being the most bombed hotel in the world.
Sharing religious values is an antidote to dehumanization
Certainly, new buildings are going up in Belfast and the nightlife seems thriving, but the pain and trauma are still palpable.
While many Americans are shocked by the violence that has erupted between Christian denominations, Catholic and Protestant, we have learned that the identity of these faiths encompasses much more: political ties to the British Empire, cultural identity, history, family ties, etc. Political divisions in the United States are similarly complex.
We returned home with renewed energy to prevent America from falling into a similar abyss of political violence. We returned to several states where the Carter Center works to mitigate violence, including most of the political battleground states. We came away determined to focus on the values of our shared faith in our communities and to prevent ideological differences from erupting into hatred and dehumanization of our neighbors.
Political violence leaves scars that are hard to heal, some of which may never heal. It drives many away from their true purpose, leaving a path of destruction and pain that will affect generations to come.
Support democracy and the peaceful transfer of power
We as Americans can say no to this partisan and sectarian division and violence. As every major religion teaches, we should treat one another with dignity and respect, no matter how much we disagree. We can support democratic solutions by engaging with our elected officials, being active and informed citizens, encouraging others to vote, and even donating to political campaigns.
And finally, we should peacefully accept the results of a secure election. If our candidate does not win, we turn our attention to the next election, still engaging with incumbents and sharing our concerns. Religious leaders are trusted messengers in their communities and can play a vital role in sharing such messages during this election and beyond.
We invite others to share this vision and support democracy, flaws and all. Whenever violence occurs, we can speak out and encourage others to do the same. We can vote and encourage others to do the same. If you’re interested in joining our Faith Forward Democracy network, visit our website at NCTrustedElections.org for more information.
After all, democracy is a system that allows for the peaceful transfer of power. The future of our freedom, justice, and peace in our communities depends on all of us upholding it.
Jennifer Watson Roberts is a former mayor of Charlotte and co-leads the North Carolina Democracy Restoration Network, a nonprofit supported by the Carter Center that works to prevent and resolve conflict, strengthen freedom and democracy, and improve health outcomes.
