What Are The Ethnic Backgrounds Of The `Loyalists`?

There were at least three different groups called Loyalists in various countries and historical periods. In North America, the United Empire Loyalists were Britons who resettled in areas still controlled by the monarchy following the American Revolution and Revolutionary Wars. Starting in the early 1780s, Loyalists frequently fled the United States and found refuge in Ontario, the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, as well as in Nova Scotia. Thanks to their British heritage, they were instrumental in the creation of English Canada.

There are also Loyalists in twentieth century and contemporary Northern Ireland. This group was comprised of those Irish Protestants who supported strong political, social and economic ties with Britain and rejected independence.

There have also been Loyalists in Scotland, athough they have historically comprised a small minority of the total population. This is also a much more recent phenomenon, dating back to the late 1990s. Scottish Loyalists are almost always Protestants who reject independent Scottish institutions, such as the Scottish Parliament, and call for greater unity and centralization within the United Kingdom. A small minority of Scottish Loyalists have resorted to violence, but many more simply hold peaceful demonstrations in Glasgow.

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