Mags Gargan“We hope for some kind of reasonable leadership within the Orange Order”
Despite angry criticism from the Orange Order of a determination by the Parades Commission to refuse a Twelfth parade to return past the Catholic Ardoyne area in Belfast, residents remain hopeful that there will be no return to violence this year.
The Parades Commission has again ruled against the annual return march past the Ardoyne shop fronts on the Crumlin Road, which separates unionist and nationalist areas, during this year’s parades on Monday, July 13. Serious rioting erupted in the Ardoyne area following parading in 2012 and Orangemen have held a protest at the junction of Twaddell since restrictions were first placed on the parade in 2013.
Mervyn Gibson, assistant grand master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland said the commission had “lost all perspective”. “I think people are angry. We had a peaceful Twelfth last year and they are angry that after all that hard work this determination has been made.”
Dialogue
Brian McKee, who works in peace and reconciliation in Holy Cross parish in Ardoyne, told The Irish Catholic the determination “was a sensible decision given the lack of meaningful dialogue”.
“There were talks sponsored by the Churches last year and for the first time the Orange Order sat down with local residents, but they finished before the summer last year and since then the residents have been writing on a weekly basis asking them to come back to enter talks,” he said.
Mr McKee, who patrols the Twaddell camp at night with Fr Gary Donegan to intercept any potential conflict, said there has been a peaceful atmosphere so far this year and the community is hopeful for a quiet Twelfth.
“We are now looking at a third year with hopefully no riots and people have welcomed the fact that they can go about their daily lives without fear of violence. We hope for some kind of reasonable leadership within the Orange Order and loyalist community, particularly to stop young people from being drawn into violence.”