The Five Demands

E’ il quesito posto da Jackie McDonald, ex UDA e leader lealista

Dato per certo che il Sinn Fein ‘stia inquinando’ le discussioni sulla controversia delle parate orangiste, Jackie McDonald – ex leader dell’UDA e lealista – tenta di spostare il punto di vista in merito alla questione.
Il nocciolo della controversia avrebbe una radice differente.
“Il fatto è che l’Orange Order non dovrebbe marciare lungo Garvaghy Road o Lower Ormeau Road, perché non vi abitano più i protestanti”.
“E’ una questione di buon senso, ma effettivamente il Sinn Fein lo ha inquinato”.
Le considerazione di McDonald seguono le affermazioni, ampiamente criticate, rilasciate da Gerry Adams e Martin McGuinness. I 2 leaders del Sinn Fein sostengono infatti che agli orangisti non dovrebbe essere consentito sfilare laddove i residenti nazionalisti negassero il permesso di farlo.
Nei prossimi giorni è prevista una serie di incontri interni all’Orange Order, al fine di riesaminare il divieto di discutere con le rappresentanze dei residenti nazionalisti che comprendano membri del Sinn Fein.

‘Order should not march Garvaghy’ (NewsLetter)
IT is “commonsense” for Orangemen not to march the Garvaghy Road, a senior loyalist has said.
Former UDA leader and reputed loyalist leader Jackie McDonald claims the only way brethren can walk along the disputed parade route in Portadown is by reaching consensus solely with local residents.
While accusing Sinn Fein of “polluting” the parades issue, Mr McDonald questioned why Orangemen would want to march in an area which is now seen as predominantly nationalist.
“If you take Sinn Fein out of the whole argument, the argument is they (the Orange Order) shouldn’t walk down the Garvaghy Road or the (lower) Ormeau Road anyway, because there are no Protestants (living there) any more,” he told a Belfast newspaper.
“That’s the commonsense argument, but Sinn Fein has actually polluted it.”
Mr McDonald’s comments come as a DUP-Sinn Fein working group is currently tasked with agreeing outcomes which are capable of achieving cross-community support on a number of contentious parades.
Last week, DUP leader Peter Robinson criticised Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams of breaking the spirit of the Hillsborough Agreement – out of which the working group was created.
In a newspaper interview, Mr Adams said that if there was a parade against the wishes of the Garvaghy Road residents he would be “sitting with them in the middle of the road”.
The Orange Order are scheduled to meet this weekend to re-examine its ban on meeting with residents’ groups containing Sinn Fein representatives.