Belfast Orangemen call for PSNI resignations and warn of
threat to law and order.
Orangemen today called for the resignation of senior police
officers in North Belfast with a warning that there could
be serious rioting in the area if the PSNI "doesn't get
its act together".
Dawson Bailie, the Orange County Grand Master of Belfast,
has described the PSNI response to republicans who attacked
Ligoniel Orangemen and their supporters at the Ardoyne shops
after last Friday's Tour of the North parade as "pathetic
and a serious threat to law and order".
"With the Whiterock Parade this Saturday and the July
12th celebrations still to come - both involving Orangemen
from Ligoniel - our fear now is that unless the PSNI acts
to protect our members less disciplined elements of the local
unionist community may try and take the law into their own
hands and there will be mayhem."
At a meeting with Mr Bailie and other senior Orangemen last
Monday to discuss the Tour of the North disturbances, local
police chiefs admitted that their intelligence had been wrong
and that they had been "misled" by republican community
leaders.
"The police had earlier assured us that while there
would be a peaceful protest by republicans at the Ardoyne
shops, the numbers present would be less than a 100 and equal
to the number of Orangemen parading. And yet, as early as
4.30pm, when our members made their way to join the parade
at Carlisle Circus, more than 500 protestors had already gathered
ready for the Ligoniel Orangemen's return.
" The PSNI had plenty of time to bring in reinforcements
to deal with the changed situation; instead they took the
path of least resistance and allowed the republicans to run
riot, block the Crumlin Road and launch an unprovoked attack
on the wives and friends of those on parade" said Mr
Bailie. "If those responsible for policing the Ardoyne
area aren't up to the job they should be replaced as soon
as possible before local frustration reaches boiling point
and anarchy takes over".
Mr Bailie continued: "We are stick to death of PSNI
commanders allowing troublemakers to get their own way and
provoke violence which the Parades Commission then uses as
an excuse to restrict future Orange parades."
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