Has Deal Opened Roads For Orange Parades - RNU

by alice lander Fri Feb 12, 2010 13:44

I'm an Englishwoman from London. Some years ago in Belfast city centre as I tried to walk to my destination, I unwittingly tried to cross a side street in the large gap (almost the length of the street) between one contingent of Orange marchers and the next .

I was physically beaten up by Orangemen with large staffs . Not one person watching the parade helped me.

This practice is common and as far as I know, no NI citizen, whether Catholic or Protestant, would ever attempt to cross between Orange ranks. .

If you invite people out on the streets to oppose orange marches in order to preserve "peace, justice and human decency" you are putting them at risk of Orange brutality.

Better to let the Orangemen march where they are welcomed and wanted. Arguing this suggestion is "Apartheid" is the Orangeman's latest last-ditch circular argument.

by Jacqueline Fallon Thu Feb 11, 2010 22:42

I am shocked that there is 3,000 Orange marches in the six counties, I did not realise there was that many of these sectarian parades - it is a sick society that produces so many of them.

Orange marches can be physically stopped, if enough people are willing, and I would be in support of preventing them from going onto public streets in the interests of preserving peace, justice and human decency.

It times like these, that I realise how lucky I am to be living in Dublin, away from sectarian marches and British imperialist assemblies, it makes me realise how I should appreciate my life in Dublin more, as I do not have to put up with sectarian Orange bastards marching down O'Connell Street, thanks be to God. I was absolutely delighted with the turn out for the successful protest I attended in Dublin, where Orange supporters were prevented from marching down O'Connell Street - it was fantastic to see the people come out to protest at this sectarian march with such passion - and it was even better to see all those Orange bastards getting back on those buses - they will never ever be welcome here.

by Belfast Resident Thu Feb 11, 2010 18:41

Jacqueline Fallon would like all Orange parades to be banned. That is her suggested solution to the problem. What how do you suggest the Assembly and the State should enforce such a ban? There are approximately 3,000 Orange Parades every year. Are you suggesting that the Orangemen should be physically prevented from marching? Do you you not see how this would be impossible and that a ban would drive hundreds of thousands behind the Orange Order in support of them. Virtually all one million protestants would oppose this ban and attempts to enforce it would bring down the Assembly, end power sharing and the so-called peace process and push Northern Ireland towards civil war.

Maybe you should think these things through before making suggestions off the top of your head.

by Jacqueline Fallon Wed Feb 10, 2010 23:32

Ban all Orange marches and all other sectarian parades - I don't care what colour/religious persuasion a sectarian march dresses itself up as, if it is sectarian - and openly triumphs over the deaths of others - rejoices in the historic ethnic cleansing and suffering of its neighbours - then the decent thing would be to ban all such marches. All decent people around the world would ban such a sectarian march. It is so embarrassing when genuine decent tourists witness such grotesquely backward hateful events, and deters them from coming back (Orange tourism is always bad tourism!).

I, like the majority of people I know, do not want any sectarian organisation parading openly on public streets here. The Orange Order is full of sectarian bigots and racists, and if there was any decency in Stormont, then all Orange marches and all other sectarian parades would be banned on every street. But, justice will never prevail in the dark halls of Stormont, as they would not know justice if it came up and bit them on their Orange arses!

by Mike - Judean Popular Peoples Front Wed Feb 10, 2010 21:02

Apartheid is alive and well it would seem

by jonathan swift II Tue Feb 09, 2010 20:26

Orangemen should be able to march up and down the Shankill and the Newtownards Road or anywhere else as much as they like - day in day out, night and day, as long as the residents agree.
Orangemen should be able to march only where they are welcomed and wanted. I accept that allowing them to express their perverse ideas among themselves may be the lesser evil.

The problems have arisen from trying to stop Organgemen from marching wherever they want. They are apparently slow to assimilate post- WWII ideas as they don't seem to realise their freedom to march stops when it infringes another person's freedom to live and go about his daily business without harrassment and without being subjected to Orange bigotry and triumphalism.

So the residents/shop owners/workers on each street should decide - if they want a march to pass up and down their street , fine. If they don't, fine, then there should not be any march.

By the same token, streets which have never had an Orange parade up and down should be asked if they would like to have one (or more).

My suggestion - wear them out! Keep Orangemen marching non-stop where they are welcomed and wanted: When they get tired of it or the residents do, or their shoe leather wears out and the Lambeg drummers can no longer lift their arms, maybe they'll give us all peace!

by Belfast resident Tue Feb 09, 2010 13:51

Jerry Cornelius do you think it is okay for the Orange Order to march down the Shankill Road?

by Jerry Cornelius Mon Feb 08, 2010 20:28

>You wouldn't catch us Republicans doing that now, would you?

Exactly. Republicans and the AOH dontt march down the Shankill Road. Nor do they want to.

by Small Minded Sammy Mon Feb 08, 2010 20:04

Yeah Cop on!
You said it! How dare the Prods try and celebrate their culture!
Why I was just saying that at the last AOH march I was on - we need to stop them from all this marching and playing instruments and celebrating the events of the past. To hell with talks and reason and working out a peaceful solution to still allow people a chance to celebrate their own culture rubbish. We should just brand them all fascists and deny them the chance to have their own identity. You wouldn't catch us Republicans doing that now, would you?

by Redundant Republican Mon Feb 08, 2010 19:36

Orange men walking down the Garvahy road or elsewhere is in my opinion . no longer the mazor concern. The Stormont show is as shinners have been saying the only show in town and will become the politics of the future. Republicans have lost the war, militarily and politically. What is important is working out where do we go from here? Residents will still prevent unwanted orange secterian marches from going down their streets.

by cop on Mon Feb 08, 2010 17:38

cop on you northern fools,any orange parade is a triumpalist facsist parade and it should be opposed
catch yerselves on for fuck sake,fuck the executive,sort the issue out yerselves,oppose orange marches!!!

by Musket - Island of Ireland Mon Feb 08, 2010 16:09

Why can't we think using a little imagination for a change.

12th April is the next significant date... and albeit Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson failed to 'Shake hands' they shared 'humour' and what a good place to move forward from.

Last night, Gay Byrne interviewed Former Taoiseach Mr. Ahern. Mr. Ahern gave a good insight into his regard for the Revd. Ian Paisley. It was an evolving acceptance that culminated in an interlude. Mr. Paisley withdrew to say a prayer and Mr. Ahern joined in and this created a foundation for a mutual discussion that led to greater acceptance.....Thankfully.

Discussion needs to take place about the Parades but why not consider a change of Location. Why not focus on the Boyne where history emanates from or even Tara Hill. John Hume spoke of 'Diversity' in unity'. Now it is up to the people of Ireland to make this happen and to include our diaspora in the celbration of a successful forging ahead for Peace on the Island of Ireland.

Musket

Who gave the Musket? When to legends met at a Boyne site? Who are the legends and what is the meaning?

by Andy Town Sun Feb 07, 2010 23:13

Belfast Resident . Have to agree with you. The only thing worse than the Orange Order who think they have the right to march where they want are the sectarian band-wagon jumper-oners of the opposite side who pretend they are there to support the locals when in fact they are there to vent their own form of ignorance and further their own agenda. The people of the Ardoyne will no doubt be subjected to ignorance and hypocrisy this year again from Unionists and Republicans alike.

by me Sun Feb 07, 2010 16:11

Lets not forget the biggest sectarian forces are not Jim Allisters TUV and dissidents republicans but the parties in the Executive. They share responsiblity for the growth of bigots on both sides.

by Jolly Red Giant - Socialist Party / CWI Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:33

I relly do have to ahve a little giggle when I see things like this - "nationalist roads"

Just becasue you paint them with green, white and orange paint does not give them life in any ethnic, cultural or sectarian sense. The roads are not 'nationalist' - they are simply roads.

by Belfast Resident Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:13

There may well be trouble this summer over parades but that trouble will not be caused by local residents. It will be caused by dissident republicans and the likes of Jim Allister's crowd who between them will stir things up for their own political purposes which have nothing to do with residents rights.
The trouble in Ardoyne last summer was caused by outside agitators brought in by dissident republicans. The march you refer to doesn't go through Ardoyne and the Orange Order don't want it to go through Ardoyne. It goes past the area on a major road by shops and there aren't even any houses! If you lived in Ardoyne the only way you would know the march is happening is if you deliberately left your area and went out to see it! Ardoyne residents have held protests against this parade over the last few years without any trouble. It was only when the dissidents deliberately orchestrated a riot against the wishes of local people that trouble happened last year.
Working class people have a right not to be drawn into conflict over these parades by the unionists and dissident republicans who play "games" that means ordinary people end up the victims. We have to stand up and say no to the sectarians on both sides.

by r.op Sat Feb 06, 2010 21:24

parade commission did nothing for ardyone. trouble there every year. reading it there seems to be empisise on dialogue in troubled spots but theres no legislation drawn up yet so to ealry to tell. listening to the shinners was surprised when i heard the parades were included, reading it, think whats in it for them is that its decided here. there game plan seems to be to get as much power devolved here as possible, this might be a double edged sword for them, maybe not, who knows, more likely a government in 2011 is going to fall over a march down the garvaghy rd.