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Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland
  Press Statements

Republican Propaganda Being Used To Incite Violence Against Parade

27 February 2004

Republicans in East Belfast have been accused of deliberately trying to raise tensions over a forthcoming Orange Order parade to provide an excuse for street violence and divert attention away from continuing IRA breaches of the Good Friday Agreement.

Saturday's (28 February) parade by members of Ballymacarrett Orange District is being held in remembrance of former members Frederick Starrett and James Cummings who were killed by the IRA in 1988 while serving with the Ulster Defence Regiment.

But the parade organisers have accused opponents of using local newspapers to try and link the event to the deaths of two loyalist paramilitaries who were blown up by their own bomb 27 years ago.

"Our parade honours the memory of two courageous UDR soldiers who were murdered by terrorists," said a District spokesman. "Recent press reports and republican comments linking the parade with loyalist paramilitaries are part of a cynical propaganda campaign designed to pave the way for violence against our members and divert attention away from abductions and other such activity in which the IRA is still involved on a daily basis."

The District spokesman continued: "Last weekend a local newspaper carried a story headlined 'Parade Fears'. There's no reason for anyone to fear anything about this parade. We simply want to celebrate our Orange culture and commemorate our dead in a peaceful and dignified manner. We call on the PSNI to ensure our members are allowed to parade in safety and we urge the Protestant community of East Belfast not to respond to any attempts by Sinn Fein/IRA to use violence to try and revive their bankrupt political agenda."

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