One of the major sticking points in Boris Johnson’s ongoing Brexit negotiations with the European Union is the so-called hard border issue — the European Union’s insistence on a hard border between British Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland unless an agreement is reached obviating the need for it.

A hard border is a non-starter in Parliament due to the risk it poses to Northern Ireland’s relative peace and prosperity. Republican dissidents on both sides of the border also view the prospect of a hard border with fury and a potential reason to resume political violence.