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Critics immediately panned Brussels for even toying with the idea of placing restrictions on the Irish border, for fear it could lead to the return of sectarian, cross-border violence on the island of Ireland.
A series of hurried, worried phone calls took place between European capitals who had not been consulted on this move -- including, bafflingly, Dublin.
EU diplomats and officials in Brussels were embarrassed by what appeared to be a unilateral threat from the Commission to the UK, a sovereign nation, and a clear risk to civil society in Northern Ireland -- a weird flex for an institution which purports to promote and protect peace and civility.