The killings in Northern Ireland perpetrated earlier this month by dissident groups—the Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) and the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA)—with the goal to undermining the peace process, has had the opposite effect, not least among the nation's students.

A police officer and two British soldiers were shot by dissident republicans in the space of three days at Craigavon and Antrim in Northern Ireland. The presence of the British army is regarded by some republicans as occupational, making it a target for dissident groups such as the RIRA.

The murder of the police officer is the first since 1998 and the only time an officer of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been killed by paramilitaries since the force was formed in 2001.

The CIRA and RIRA—who lack any sort of political wing—broke away from the Provisional IRA in 1998 after the paramilitary group accepted a peace deal and committed themselves to pursuing a united Ireland by democratic means.

Following this month's attacks, however, politicians, church leaders from all Christian denominations, and the Irish public have demonstrated an unprecedented show of unity in order to neuter the dissident threat.

Valerie Hamil, a fourth year student from Northern Ireland studying journalism at Edinburgh Napier University told The Journal: “It’s a terrible thing what has happened but there are only 300 people in this group, a very small proportion of the 1.7 million population who are appalled and shocked at the killings.

“Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) public condemnation has only served to unify the people of Northern Ireland who don’t want to see a return to the 30 years of violence.”

Loyalist representatives have assured Sinn Fein that paramilitary groups will not retaliate against the attacks.

Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist clergy held special services; prayers were offered for an end to violence and people were asked to wear purple ribbons in protest of the murders. Furthermore, thousands of people have attended peace rallies in cities throughout Northern Ireland; in Belfast more than 10,000 people congregated to show their support of the peace process.

Another student from Northern Ireland, Anthea Humphreys in her fourth year at Edinburgh University, shared Ms Hamil’s view, but was not surprised by the recent events: “It has been bubbling under the surface for quite a while now, and the killings have confirmed this.”

Indeed, Sir Hugh Orde, in charge of the police services in Northern Ireland, has stated that there have been 25 attempts to kill members of the police force in the last 18 months. A report published in November 2008 by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC), the international group set up as part of power sharing, said: “CIRA was active in undertaking and planning attacks on PSNI officers.”

The IMC also concluded that “RIRA is a serious and continuing threat and that it is likely to remain so.”

Miss Humphreys added: “Most importantly, there is zero public support. Students are against these dissident groups, and are actively involved in the political processes and parties, believing in peaceful methods not guns and violence.”

One third year student at Edinburgh Napier, James Scott, also from Northern Ireland, agreed that students have a big part to play in Northern Ireland’s future: “Students are liberal and impartial and politicians should listen to them. Students at Queen’s University in Belfast have come together, regardless of whether they are Catholic or Protestant, and that is something I have never seen before.

“Even friends who are very extreme in their sectarian views have shown a united front and condemned the violence, supporting the peace process.”

However, Mr Scott suggested that, although the foundations of the peace process are strong, there may always be a small band of violent extremism: “Sectarianism still exists; many Protestants and Catholics don’t mix, living in separate communities. Unless schools integrate and communication is improved this will continue and there could be more murders, it will take generations to improve the situation in Northern Ireland.”

Despite a tightening of security, police investigating the shootings have come under attack from rioters. The arrest of Colin Duffy in conjunction with the murder of the two soldiers sparked a protest in which youths threw petrol bombs, bricks and bottles at police. Geraldine Taylor, a former IRA prisoner who represents the party in Catholic West Belfast said: “It's always been on the cards while England remains here, and while they have their occupying forces here. It's inevitable that you'll have young people take up arms against the occupation of this country, whether it be the armed force of the police or the British Army.”

St Patrick’s Day was further evidence of the need for non-sectarian environments. In the student area of Holylands in Belfast, regarded as a largely Catholic Nationalist area, students threw stones and bottles at PSNI riot lines and set fire to cars.

Worryingly, Police have also warned that dissident republicans are on a recruitment drive. Chief Inspector Chris Yates said: “These are dangerous groups. They are very much small in number, but they are very keen to increase their influence. The reality is they are out there in the communities, working, trying to recruit people, trying to pervert people, trying to turn people to their cause and that's very worrying.”

But one architecture student at Queens University Belfast dismissed this is as an issue amongst students, “Within the student community, as far as my class mates and friends are concerned, there is definitely no support for these dissident groups.

“I very much doubt it will escalate to the state of the previous ‘Troubles’. However it would be naïve to assume that this is the last we shall see of these kind of incidents. I feel Northern Ireland will for the next few generations always have these underlying problems, it is not something that will simply go away with politics alone.”