Latest:

00:22 Two rebel groups merge in Mali
00:22 Food industry experience offered
00:22 Saltire Games ban 'ridiculous'
00:22 Another Eurovision disaster for UK
00:22 Scott: Sci fi is getting worn out
00:22 Kinsey: Mindy Kaling is brilliant
00:21 Another Eurovision disaster for UK
00:21 Buzz of fatherhood for comic Frank

DUP anger at Adams’ parading comments

By Claire McNeilly
Friday, 12 February 2010

A war of words has broken out between the DUP and Sinn Fein just days after a new group was established to deal with contentious parades.

Upper Bann MLA Stephen Moutray has hit out at Gerry Adams after the republican leader said there would be no Orange feet on disputed routes without the residents’ consent.

The DUP member of the new parading body also accused Mr Adams of misrepresenting his own party’s sentiments during an interview published in the Belfast Telegraph yesterday.

“The comment from Gerry Adams about ‘never’ having a parade down Garvaghy Road so long as the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition is opposed to it is distinctly unhelpful,” Mr Moutray said.

“Indeed, it would seem that Mr Adams is off-message from his own colleagues.

“The idea that sectarian groups can unilaterally decide who will walk on a particular road is a case of cultural apartheid.”

Mr Moutray — whose upper Bann constituency includes Portadown's Garvaghy Road, the scene of one of the most intractable of the province's parading disputes — was reacting to Mr Adams’ comments that the nationalist position on parades has not changed.

“There could be no parade down the Garvaghy Road unless the people of Garvaghy Road consent to it,” the Sinn Fein leader told this newspaper.

“The other one is the lower Ormeau. The same thing goes. Ardoyne is another contentious one. And Rasharkin, we need to have the same process.”

The six-person review panel set up by the Hillsborough Castle deal has just two weeks to come up with a workable way forward on reforming the current approach to parades.

Print
Text Size
- Normal
- Large
- Extra Large

Comments

First |
Previous
1
2
3
4
5
Next
| Last

155 Comments

Stve, the OO may not march to commemorate acts from terrorists buts its members certainly do openly display its thoughts on them. I am from the Lower Ormeau Road and it was members of the OO marching down past Sean Grahams bookmakers dancing and making gestures of the number 5 in response to the 5 innocent civillians who lost their lives in a terrorist attack that made the people of the area stand up together and say enough. I am totally in support of celebrating your culture but for the life of me cannot understand why the OO would not want to stick to their own areas where they would be watched, wanted, celebrated and enjoyed rather than trying to force through an area with open hostility??

Posted by Nini | 24.03.10, 16:09 GMT

Steve, you asked how many in these resident's groups are members of the IRA or former members? Likewise, how many members of the OO are, were members of the UDA/UVF? Brian Robinson comes to mind, but how many others?

Posted by Patrick | 17.02.10, 18:34 GMT

John 13.2.10

You are mistaken in saying that the first Orange parade on Garvaghy Road was in 1975.

The Orange Order parade to and from Drumcree can be traced back to 1807.

For a full history, see www.portadowndistrictlolno1.co.uk

Posted by Jeff | 17.02.10, 14:57 GMT

Paul 12.2.10

What a rant (and one which completely misses the point!)

You obviously cannot understand the english language, or simply choose to misrepresent my previous contribution.

1. Where have I said that I am being denied the right to attend church?

2. The OO is not a C of I organisation, but accepts members from all protestant denominations.

3. There are lots of OO parades in Portadown, but only 1 of those is now termed "contentious" as the OO gave up most of the others deemed to be in this catagory.

4. There are dozens of Orangemen who worship at Drumcree Church every Sunday.

5. Orange services take place at several churches in Portadown every year, and not all at C of I churches. All members of the OO are welcome, no matter what branch of the reformed faith they adhere to.

Posted by Jeff | 17.02.10, 10:49 GMT

ger/usa.etc you dont get it do you? The OO does not march to commemorate acts from terrorists. It is in the case of contentious parades to commemorate the war dead of two world wars, catholic and protestant, north and south. Now, please tell me and other unionists, why you are so intolerant and cant let a march which lasts 5 mins go by peacefully and without fuss?

Posted by stve | 16.02.10, 12:48 GMT

"I have to ask you - HAVE YOU EVER ACTUALLY SET FOOT IN NORTHERN IRELAND?"

Yes, Mc/Mickey/mark's nemesis I have been to Northern Ireland many times, I have even lived there - and I can tell you there has never been any point in history where OO marches have NOT been considered contentious in areas which didn't want them, except perhaps in your own mind.

The fact that the Order was once banned by the British government, and there were noted riots almost yearly from the 1880s onwards is proof enough of that. So, drop the old canard will you, it's tiring and has already been throughly disabused.

"Garvaghy Road was not sold to Irish Nationalists , they may live there but it is still part of the UK."

Irrelevant. The residents of the area have a right to say they don't want these marches past their homes.

You surely wouldn't try and force Jews to undergo a yearly anti-semitic march past their homesteads in the name of "culture" now would you?

Posted by Euskal Herria | 15.02.10, 16:37 GMT

What part of the statement don't you understand - if the residents don't want marchers [of any colour] in their neighbourhood then don't march!
Wasn't that easy to understand or do you take the position - or am I confusing you with the fact that if residents don't want marchers in their neighbourhood they should not be allowed - in a democracy it's called freedom of choice!

Posted by Seamus OhEarcain | 14.02.10, 01:20 GMT

It's not just the DUP who are away with the faries (Euskal Herria) and once again your anti-protestantism mask has slipped.

You fail to mention the equally mad beliefs of the Catholic Church ie wine that turns into blood as you drink it.

The problem here is that there are mad beliefs on every side, but some folk never look in the mirror.

I couldn't care less about Orange marches, but I do oppose racism and fascism and I see that face as much in the politics of Sinn Fein as I do in the DUP.

The big difference is that the DUP did not support an army of poorly educated, half-witted psychos as they went about a thirty year war of sectarian, racist ethnic cleansing.

Posted by man dingo | 13.02.10, 09:28 GMT

Why do SOME unionists not accept the basic right of nationalist communities not to have loyalist/orange parades through their communities?

Would they respect a republican march glorifying the Shankill bomber down the Shankill? Would they be sectarian for opposing it? Of course not.

March where you're wanted.

Complain about this comment

Posted by ger

ger, the same question has been asked so many times before. Are you not satisfied with the answer? Just joking, cause you know they will never answer, if they were to try it would show them as silly hypocrites.

Posted by USA | 13.02.10, 02:42 GMT

The first orange parade on the Garvaghy Road was in 1975, I believe, I may be mistaken. Can someone enlighten me. I believe the BT published an article on this a while back.

Posted by john | 13.02.10, 02:31 GMT

Serge, You state "What of today? The OO is extinct in Canada because society has moved on, secularized and religious bigotry is mostly, thankfully, a thing of the past."
REALLY? How come then a few years ago on Canada Day I witnessed an Orange Order Lodge following a flute Band in Cambridge Ontario? HUH?????

Posted by Stuart | 13.02.10, 02:18 GMT

A CHAIRDE,
I am writing from North America and I consider myself a loyalist, I’m loyal to my country of Canada, I’m loyal to my wife and children, I’m loyal to my friends and co-habitants of the land I love, I’m loyal to democratic principals, I’m loyal to a civilized accepted way of living that has been adopted by reasonable people since the beginning of time. I live and share the same principal of loyalty to my family, friends, countrymen and women. You could consider my family and choice of friends as loyal human beings who love and respect life and share important values with people of different opinions than we share. As I watch the news reports from the island of Ireland covering the turbulence and troubles in the north part of the island of Ireland, I constantly witness human butchery, disregard for human life, and complete disobedience of the laws of God and Ireland. The people carrying out these acts of violence were born in Ireland, are therefore Irish, and enjoy life

Posted by canadiangael | 13.02.10, 02:09 GMT

I wonder who these supposed Residents Groups are , are they former members of Sinn Fein/IRA or current members ?
Who decided that these people were the representatives of the residents ?
The Irish Nationalist/Republican movement in the past has not tolerated anyone who disagrees with it from within the Catholic community.
Their ethos has always been , its our way or you will get a visit at 2am from some blokes with hurly sticks.
Are these people really representative of the residents or just the same old bully boys

Posted by Steve | 13.02.10, 01:19 GMT

To John Q Public your analogy of your father selling his house 50 years ago but still wanting to use the kitchen is irrelevant.
Garvaghy Road was not sold to Irish Nationalists , they may live there but it is still part of the UK.
Ardoyne and Ormeau Road were never bought by Irish Nationalists.
These places are public places.
The peoples of these areas should let the marches through , but they should also have guarantees of peaceful and respectful marches.
The Orange Order has not gone away , but by dialogue and comprimise we can move forward.

Posted by Steve | 13.02.10, 01:13 GMT

, if you are trying to coax us into an all ireland you have failed as you tryed to bomb us into it and failed also ,you failed ,take a reality check , no united ireland ever.

Posted by Actions | 12.02.10, 23:40 GMT

What compromise have the residents in Portadown's Garvaghy Road offered to the loyal orders in the past ten years ?

Posted by Alex | 12.02.10, 23:36 GMT

The Orange Order is not extinct in Canada. There are parades in Toronto every year and every province still has an OO lodge. It is smaller than it used to be, however it is not extinct. There are also OO parades in New York, California, San Francisco, various Australian cities and other Canadian cities including St. Johns, Calgary and Winnipeg. You are providing false information to prove a point that is not valid.
No doubt you would ban people wearing poppies as well.

Posted by --thenewmule-- | 12.02.10, 23:05 GMT

have 2 laugh when people say that the o.o is a sactarian organization its not the orangemen that start the trouble its the people that follow them. im an orangeman myself with a catholic wife with many of catholic friends that watch the 12th and many olther prades in the year, im not sactarian i just beleive in my culture the way nationlists beleive in theirs. as i said in my earlier comment for the sake of 10 mins with no tunes being played its hardly annoying anyone its just the nationilists that want to cos trouble. if anybody as facts in when the orangemen as caused trouble in the last 20 years leave a comment.

Posted by normski | 12.02.10, 22:49 GMT

50 years ago my granda told me..."all the catholics wants to do is work and bring up their kids just as we do.you dont have to fear them.buttttttt...never never ever trust a republican.... protestant or catholic."wrings true to this day.

Posted by billy | 12.02.10, 22:48 GMT