The Orange Order said today that it feared the Parades Commission's
decision to restrict Monday's Ballysillan feeder parade in
North Belfast could pose an even bigger threat to law and
order than last month's Whiterock ruling which the commission
was forced to reverse at the last minute.
A spokesman for the Order described the Commission's determination
to ban bandsmen and parade supporters and allow only Ballysillan
Lodge members to walk past the Ardoyne shops as "absolutely
crazy".
The Order believes that, as in previous years, the police
will be unable to prevent republicans attacking the small
group of Orangemen as they walk past the Ardoyne shops. As
a result, they fear that thousands of loyalist supporters
returning from the city's Twelfth celebrations could converge
on the North Belfast flashpoint in a show of support for the
Ballysillan Lodge.
"The Orange Order wants a calm and peaceful Twelfth
but this latest decision by the Commission is tantamount to
pouring petrol on an already tinder dry situation," said
an Order spokesman.
"The Ballysillan determination is based on spite rather
than any concern for community relations. We are reliably
informed that the Commission was split on its decision over
this parade but in the end, the Secretariat and other key
members took the view that after their humiliating Whiterock
climbdown they needed to get their own back on the Order.
"Our concern now is that the Commission's tit-for-tat
tactics could get out of hand, and that instead of a handful
of Orangemen allegedly giving offence, the nationalist residents
of Ardoyne may find themselves face to face with thousands
of loyalists determined to defend their culture and their
right to walk back to their homes."
The spokesman added that senior members of the Order would
be now be holding a series of meetings with the politicians
and others to decide on how best to handle the consequences
of the Parades Commission's ruling.
|
