The Five Demands

No return parade past Ardoyne (UTV)

The DUP has called for the removal of the Parades Commission after the body ruled that there will be no return parade by the Orange Order past the Ardoyne shop fronts in north Belfast on the Twelfth of July.

The parades watchdog also decided that the morning parade will pass the contentious area with no music or drumbeats. Only 100 supporters are allowed to accompany the Lodges and bands on Friday.

On their return parade Orangemen and bandsmen will be stopped at the junction of Woodvale Road and Woodvale Parade, the body said.

The Parades Commission issued its determination in the absence of agreement between the Orange Order and local residents.

The annual feeder parade in the area has been marred by serious violence in recent years and it was hoped talks between nationalist residents and Orange Lodges could pave the way for a more peaceful Twelfth this year.

The talks, which took place at the weekend, were initiated at the request of loyalist residents’ group, the Twaddell and Woodvale Residents Association, who called on three local lodges in north Belfast engage in direct dialogue with the Crumlin Ardoyne Residents Association (CARA).

On Tuesday evening, the Parades Commission said it was “disappointed” that the Orange Order did not engage directly with CARA until six days before the parade.

However, it welcomed commitment from the two sides to continue talks in the future.

In the unfortunate absence of local agreement, the Commission is faced with the difficult task of balancing the rights of both paraders and protesters.

Peter Osborne, Parades Commission Chairman
Earlier around 50 members of another nationalist residents group held a white line picket on the Crumlin Road in opposition to Friday’s parade.

In a statement the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (GARC) said the failure of Orange Order representatives and CARA to reach a resolution was “predictable”.

They say the annual parade causes major disruption and inconvenience to the community in the area.

The Parades Commission has allowed 2,000 GARC members to protest in the area on Friday from 2pm, under the proviso that their march finishes by 3pm and that it proceeds along Balholm Drive onto Brompton Park- away from the Crumlin Road.

Local DUP MLA Nelson McCausland described the GARC’s protest plans as “a dangerously provocative attempt to create tension and to intimidate”.

This Parades Commission has delivered a ruling which is totally illogical and inconsistent with events over the past year.

North Belfast DUP members
North Belfast DUP MP Nigel Dodds and MLAs Nelson McCausland and William Humphrey have condemned the restriction on the Orange parade and called for the removal of the Parades Commission.

“This ruling has placed in the Ligoniel Orange Lodges in an impossible position,” they said in a joint statement.

“They are being denied the right to return home peacefully and with dignity along the main road they have traversed for decades, with priority instead given to dissident republicans who last year attacked the Protestant community at Twaddell Avenue. By this determination the Commission has chosen to reward intolerance.

“This relic of direct rule is outdated and out of control. It is unaccountable and has no democratic basis or mandate.”

They added:”We had negotiated a replacement which would have guaranteed the end of the Parades Commission. Unfortunately that was not accepted by others who chose to reject that alternative. We would encourage everyone to work with us on creating a better way forward.”

The integrity of the weekend talks was shown when all the parties involved called for a peaceful Twelfth no matter what the determination was.

Gerry Kelly, SF MLA
Speaking on the determination, SDLP North Belfast MLA Alban Maginness, said: “This is a significant ruling by the Parades Commission and has the potential to defuse tensions and to reduce the possibility of violence on the evening of the Twelfth of July.

“I would call on all concerned to respect this determination and to do what they can to ensure that the people who live in the area are able to enjoy a peaceful, non-violent Twelfth of July.”

He added he was hopeful that the historic talks between Ardoyne residents and Orange Lodges would reach a voluntary agreement that will result in a long term solution to the parading issue in the area.

Sinn Féin North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said he welcomed the “sensible” decision.

“It has created the space for talking to continue. The dialogue that began just a few days ago to find a resolution to the situation should recommence,” he commented.

“That decision to begin the talks was a brave one by both the residents group CARA and the Orange Order. Both have agreed to resume the talks and that is to be welcomed.

He added: “A peaceful 12th will give those talks a good foundation in which a local resolution can be found to this parading issue.”

Last year violent scenes erupted in the area in the wake of a protest by nationalists and a loyalist counter-demonstration.

Twenty police officers were hurt in the clashes and up to ten shots were fired as well as missiles thrown at police lines.

On Tuesday, PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggot revealed 630 police officers who were used for the G8 Summitt will be drafted in to help police parades, which he said were on a uniquely large scale this year.

The parades watchdog said it has been notified of 580 parades and protests for this year’s Twelfth, with just over 50 deemed as sensitive and 40 determinations issued.

It stated that the overwhelming majority of the 4,500 parades in Northern Ireland take place without difficulty.

Peter Osborne, the Parades Commission’s Chairman, said it was time to move beyond the “pain and blame cycle that has dogged parading disputes”.

He said: “Creating a genuinely shared society is possible, but it means further positive engagement with those from a different background and respecting each other’s traditions.

“Local accommodation, engagement and respectful behaviour by both paraders and protesters – as demonstrated in Derry/Londonderry, where the main Twelfth demonstration is taking place without the need for the Parades Commission to get involved – remain the basis for resolving outstanding parading issues.”