Ardoyne residents plan protest march

12/07/2003 - 09:32:11
Tens of thousands of Orange Order members are marching across Northern Ireland today at their annual July 12 parades.

It is the zenith of the loyalist marching season and security will be tight in potential flashpoint areas – nowhere more so than in North Belfast.

Nationalist residents of the Ardoyne area are planning to stage a march when Orangemen parade past the area to join the main Belfast procession – and when they return again in the evening.

Last year there were minor disturbances when bottles and stones were thrown over the security force cordon as the local parade made its way home in the evening.

Nationalist residents yesterday failed in a High Court bid to overturn the Parades Commission’s decision that the Orangemen should be allowed to march along the route.

Northern Ireland has enjoyed an uncharacteristic calm this year ahead of the weekend parading and hopes are high that the event will pass off without major incident.

But the security forces and all sides know it can only take one spark to ignite violent outbursts.

Bonfires were lit in loyalist areas of towns, cities and villages across the North late last night for the traditional 11th Night start to the “12th” day of marching.

Sinn Féin claimed last night that loyalist death threats had been issued against Ardoyne residents by the Red Hand Defenders.

Senior party member Gerry Kelly claimed threats had been issued against residents, including one who signed an affidavit for the failed court attempt to halt today’s parade, and against Parades Commission monitors due to be in the area to watch the parade.

Mr Kelly said police had visited those under threat to warn them.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland declined to comment saying they never discussed the personal security of any individual.

However they said that where they received information of a threat they took steps to warn the person or persons involved.

Mr Kelly said that even at this late hour the Parades Commission should reverse their decision to let the Ardoyne parade go ahead.

He said the threats were “a blatant attempt to manipulate and intimidate events on the 12th July by threat of violence”.

Calling for the threats to be withdrawn he said they only “served to heighten tensions in what is already a very charged atmosphere”.

SDLP chief Mark Durkan and Belfast Lord Mayor Martin Morgan appealed for calm over the weekend. Mr Durkan said so far this summer, common sense and cool heads had prevailed and there had been little trouble on the streets.

“My hope is that we will have a trouble free weekend across the North and that we can continue to make progress towards the stable and peaceful society we all desire,” he said.

Mr Moran asked those engaged in parading to exercise “level headedness and common sense”.