A leaflet and poster from the “Ulster Says No” anti-Anglo-Irish Agreement campaign. The Anglo-Irish Agreement provided a framework for meetings between Irish and British ministers to discuss Northern Ireland issues. The agreement was signed by British and Irish prime ministers on 15 November 1985. Unionists, greatly angered by the agreement, organised the Ulster Says No campaign. Demonstrations and rallies were held; some of these protests ended in violence with police officers injured. The campaign included a day of action on 3 March 1986. This general strike disrupted most aspects of life across Northern Ireland. Loyalists used farm machinery, nails and oil to close motorways and roads. Some members of the RUC, angered at the policing of protests, felt they were giving tacit support to the agreement by clearing the roadblocks but the majority of RUC officers endeavoured to keep main roads open and 425 of 687 obstructions were removed. However, the government was critical of the lawlessness and disruption and blamed the RUC for their lenient response to protestors.

Following the policing of the anti-agreement protests, police homes were petrol-bombed and additional troops were deployed to support the RUC. At Easter, anti-RUC feelings increased following the banning of an Apprentice Boys parade through Portadown. Police fired 100 plastic baton rounds at rioting Loyalists, fatally injuring one rioter. There were further attacks on homes and anti-RUC graffiti appeared in Loyalist estates: “Join the RUC and come home to a real fire”. The chief constable set up an emergency housing unit at Belfast headquarters. Police officers were offered extinguishers, blankets and fire-fighting devices. A number of police families were intimidated from their homes and accommodated in police quarters. By the end of 1986, there had been 564 incidents and 120 police families had been forced to abandon their homes.