Initial Response To Parades Commission Determination - Portadown 9th July 2000

The Parades Commission, in its predictable determination on the Portadown District L.O.L.'s traditional parade from the anniversary service in Drumcree Parish Church on Sunday July 9, has once again stayed true to the narrow remit scrupulously laid down by a Government that appears committed to the suppression of Orange culture.

This unelected, totally unrepresentative quango has consistently strayed away from upholding the right of peaceful assembly and the latest determination to ban Sunday's parade merely shores up the totally intractable standpoint of the most extreme elements in our society.

The assertion by the Parades Commission that there is little evidence to suggest the Orange Institution has done little to address the concerns of others in relation to its parades is quite scandalous misrepresentation of the sterling efforts made over a number of years by senior members of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland and the Portadown District to find a satisfactory resolution to the Drumcree dispute.

Orangemen have bent over backwards to facilitate a peaceful, orderly march from Sunday morning worship in Drumcree Parish Church and it is insulting, and disingenuous, for the Parades Commission to be so dismissive of the Orange Institution's moves on facilitation, reached courageously, and after much debate by lodge members.

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland and Portadown District L.O.L. No.1 will over the next few days fully consider the ramifications of the latest Drumcree determination and the statement by Mr. Holland but stated policy remains there will be no direct contact with either the unelected members of the Parades Commission or representatives of the republican residents' groups agitating for a halt to Orange marches.

We would urge all Orangemen and women and supporters of our Institution to show absolute restraint at this time and to stand firm for the maintenance of civil and religious liberty. Any protests which may result from the Drumcree stalemate must be peaceful and in keeping with the high ideals of our Institution.

This unelected, totally unrepresentative quango has consistently strayed away from upholding the right of peaceful assembly and the latest determination to ban Sunday's parade merely shores up the totally intractable standpoint of the most extreme elements in our society.

The assertion by the Parades Commission that there is little evidence to suggest the Orange Institution has done little to address the concerns of others in relation to its parades is quite scandalous misrepresentation of the sterling efforts made over a number of years by senior members of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland and the Portadown District to find a satisfactory resolution to the Drumcree dispute.

Orangemen have bent over backwards to facilitate a peaceful, orderly march from Sunday morning worship in Drumcree Parish Church and it is insulting, and disingenuous, for the Parades Commission to be so dismissive of the Orange Institution's moves on facilitation, reached courageously, and after much debate by lodge members.

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland and Portadown District L.O.L. No.1 will over the next few days fully consider the ramifications of the latest Drumcree determination and the statement by Mr. Holland but stated policy remains there will be no direct contact with either the unelected members of the Parades Commission or representatives of the republican residents' groups agitating for a halt to Orange marches.

We would urge all Orangemen and women and supporters of our Institution to show absolute restraint at this time and to stand firm for the maintenance of civil and religious liberty. Any protests which may result from the Drumcree stalemate must be peaceful and in keeping with the high ideals of our Institution.