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| - Police are investigating an apparent threat made against senior UK minister Michael Gove in Northern Ireland, as tensions grow over post-Brexit arrangements in the province, a government spokesman said Thursday. Graffiti appeared in the capital of Belfast spelling the name of the cabinet office minister and his home address, according to local media. The slogans reportedly warned: "We don't forget. We don't forgive." Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official spokesman told reporters in London on Thursday that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) "are responding to this situation". A PSNI spokesman said the force did not comment on individual security situations but officers "would never ignore something that could put an individual at risk". The graffiti is reported to have been daubed on a wall in Sandy Row -- a traditionally pro-UK area in the British-run province. Since January 1, some hardcore members of the unionist community have expressed growing anger at post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland. London and Brussels agreed a "Northern Ireland protocol" would govern trade in the region, with checks on goods arriving at ports from mainland Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) from the start of 2021. The deal removed the need for checkpoints along the 310-mile (500-kilometre) border between Northern Ireland and EU member the Republic of Ireland. Up until a 1998 peace deal the border was a flashpoint in sectarian conflict over British rule in Northern Ireland, which left 3,500 dead as pro-UK unionists, pro-Irish republicans and British security forces battled over the province. But some unionists -- and more hardcore loyalists often linked to paramilitaries -- believe new checks at ports are creating an "Irish sea border" undermining Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. Last month graffiti appeared to threaten border staff manning the new posts, resulting in the suspension of checks at the ports of Belfast and Larne. Graffiti has regularly featured the crosshairs symbol, evoking fears of a return to armed violence. PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne said Wednesday that "controversy surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol has seen a re-emergence of identity politics and a rising tide of tension". He underscored "a potentially volatile, fast paced, unpredictable and complex set of circumstances". An umbrella group representing three loyalist paramilitary groups active in the conflict on Wednesday revoked its support of the Good Friday Agreement. The Loyalist Communities Council said they will hold their new position until there is "unfettered access for goods, services, and citizens throughout the United Kingdom". jts/phz/wai
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