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The 'Twelfth' is acknowledged to be one of the greatest parades
in Europe, with tens of thousands of Orangemen on parade,
a colourful spectacular of banners, bands and flags, and an
event which is watched with interest far beyond the shores
of Northern Ireland.
That being the case, it was essential that Orangemen and
the loyal supporters who turned out in huge numbers did their
utmost to dissuade any hooligan elements from bringing discredit
on the Protestant and Orange cause.
The enemies of Orangeism and of the loyalist cause will pick
on the slightest breach of discipline to heap abuse and negative
publicity on the Orange Order.
That was evident in the way that events surrounding Drumcree
were dealt with in the past by sections of the media. It was
the same with Orange parades in Ardoyne, Springfield Road
and even East Belfast in recent years. The republican perpetrators
of violence against the Orange parades, and against the security
forces, were bracketed with the Orangemen and loyalists, and
parts of the media showered more criticism on the Orange than
with the real troublemakers.
The Order has taken steps in recent years to assist the discipline
already applied by Lodges, and this has meant the appointment
of many stewards and marshals.
The vast majority of spectators are law-abiding and enjoy
the parades without causing bother or giving offence. But
there is a small element, loosely called 'the blue bag brigade'
whose tendency for alcohol abuse has caused embarrassment.
No-one would seek to curtail anyone's legitimate celebrations,
but these must be kept within acceptable limits. Already there
are rumblings from predictable quarters that the Orange Order
could be made responsible for the behaviour of people attending
parades as spectators.
That is not fair and reasonable, as the Order cannot possibly
be held responsible for all who come out on a day when up
to half-a-million Northern Ireland people participate in some
way in the Orange demonstrations.
But the Order will still do all it can to assist the forces
of law and order, and it is in that light that the officers
want brethren to help in ensuring that parades are held in
a friendly and agreeable atmosphere.
There has been attempts by republican elements to provoke
marchers and their supporters to no avail. But it would be
foolish to ignore the possibility, and it cannot be stressed
too strongly that if this does happen, loyalists should not
allow themselves to be drawn into confrontation with republican
elements bent on trouble.
Loyalists have, and must in the future co-operate with the
security forces on duty in sensitive areas, and did play their
part in ensuring that the glorious Twelfth was enjoyed to
the full, in a peaceful and dignified manner.
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