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Home Page > News > Orange Order Parade’s spark further violence in Northern Ireland

Orange Order Parade’s spark further violence in Northern Ireland

Riots on Monday night the worst sectarian violence in some time

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 7:14 AM

Updated Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 7:31 AM

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A Nationalist youth throws a petrol bomb at Police in the Ardoyne area, north Belfast July 12, 2010

A number of Northern Irish police officers were injured last night having been attacked by masked protestors. One female officer was taken to hospital when a slab of concrete was dropped on her head.

Police chiefs in Northern Ireland are calling for a long-term solution to these disputes which take place almost every July 12, when the Orange Order Parades take place.

Rioters, mostly young men with their faces covered, threw petrol bombs, bricks bottles and in one case a blast bomb. In the Ardoyne area of North Belfast baton rounds were fired and water canons used to control the rioters.

In Derrry a masked gunman fired at the police at 1.18am in the Bogside area. Officers also said that a car was set alight after being hit with petrol bombs when a man appeared from behind a building and fired five shots before escaping.

The police officers targeted by the protester were escorting the Orange Order Parade through the divide between republican and loyalist neighborhoods.

Other violent scenes broke out across the country in Lurgan, County Armagh and Armagh City. However, the vast majority of Orange Order Parades passed without incident.

Last night’s violent attacks came after three police officers were shot with shotgun pellets and 24 others were injured during another bout of rioting in Belfast on Sunday night.

Chief Constable Alistair Finlay, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant said “We need to see real joined-up strategic political leadership, backed up by everyone in communities making their peaceful voices heard.

“Northern Ireland cannot afford to have violent images beamed across the world every summer - images which are totally unrepresentative of the vast majority of people who have embraced a peaceful and vibrant future.”

Nster.com

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31 Comments

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ddinning | Feb 09, 2011, 11:33 AM EST

The parades keep hate alive and promote sectarianism. That is there only purpose. They bring in Orange Orders from around the world to march in them, and celebrate something that never happened, A Glorious Revolution. There was nothing Glorious about ‘The War of two Kings’ and it wasn’t a Revolution. It didn’t save the Protestant religion from the Pope. In fact William of Orange carried a papal banner when he landed in England and Ireland. Louis XIV was the major antagonist of Pope Innocent, and the Pope gave financial aid to William of Orange to drive Louis out of the Netherlands. It was William of Orange’s war with France that led him to accept the throne of England. If it was about saving the protestant religion why did William of Orange have to convert from Calvinism to the Church of England? After using the Scottish Presbyterian to win the war for William, England was quick to enslave all other protestant religions. Calling them all dissents, they where now in the same boat as Catholics. The backers of William of Orange where called Billy Boys in Ireland. Waves of Scottish Presbyterian fled Ireland for America and those that settled in the hills of the south where called Hillbillies. My family was one of them. There where no Orange groups or parades for a 100 years after the Siege of Derry. England did a great job of pitting two of their old enemies against each other, and continue to do so today. Division and conflict without it there is unity. That is why they march.

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ardgehane | Jul 16, 2010, 10:57 PM EDT

The more things change - the more thay stay the same.

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Watereskhill | Jul 16, 2010, 12:15 AM EDT

Comments here to deport folk from N.Ireland courts a Gaelic Utopia as though the South defines Ireland and is without blemish. As a Northener raised Catholic I can assure you if you put my mother a Scott's Presbyterian whose laughter and joy (forced to convert) melts a mountain on a boat--I'm going too.

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mairdemalone | Jul 15, 2010, 04:09 PM EDT

The Irish, North and South, should sue Rome for compensation. After all, it was Pope Adrian who gave Ireland (which wasn't his to give!!!) away to Prince Henry, in 1153, as a gift.

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Realist | Jul 15, 2010, 05:27 AM EDT

citizen69: Again, well put. "Relocate the Brits back to the Queen in England" - is this what passes for Irish Republican thinking these days? I suggest that the likes of Johnkelso go back to painting letterboxes green in West Tyrone....lol.

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citizen69 | Jul 15, 2010, 04:58 AM EDT

Johnkelso and others here have come up with the wholly bigoted solution that all those that support the connection with the UK should be driven into the sea and relocated to England. Well that's 70% of the population of Northern Ireland! A lot of people in N.I. (possibly a majority) have roots in Scotland and have been in Ireland longer than white Europeans have been in America. They are not about to leave any time soon.

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citizen69 | Jul 15, 2010, 04:50 AM EDT

@siobhan716: In an ideal world it would be great if everyone could forget about the past but there isn't a nation on earth that does not celebrate past events. The 12th July parades isn't simply to celebrate a battle where protestants were victorious over catholics (because there were both on each side & the Pope supported the protestant king). It mainly celebrates what is known as the 'Glorious Revolution' which established the supremacy of parliament over the monarchy. You can't just tell a section of a community that they can no longer commemorate an event. That is not how a shared future works.

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Realist | Jul 15, 2010, 04:34 AM EDT

I agree with Republic of Ireland Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, "Let nobody be fooled, these so-called ‘dissident’ republicans are unqualified partitionists. Nobody who believes in the Republic should have anything to do with them."

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johhnyb | Jul 15, 2010, 04:00 AM EDT

Hi everyone, The photograph above shows a rioter wearing a Celtic shirt so we can probably guess his political affiliation, and that of his fellow rioters! JohnKelso wants the brits repatriated to England. Would that be done by using English surnames I wonder? If so, bye-bye Mr Hume and Mr Adams, to name at least two who might not necessarily want to go! Finally why are your readers so opposed to remembrance of past events? It always appears to me that they are quite keen on remembering 1916. Really, we have all got to live together and many of the comments on ths site don't help. Best wishes.

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siobhan716 | Jul 14, 2010, 09:49 PM EDT

The peace process in N. Ireland is supposed to be about reconciliation and forgetting the past. These parades celebrate something that happened over 3 centuries ago. It's time to forget it and stop these parades. Otherwise there will never be peace.

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johnkelso | Jul 14, 2010, 05:37 PM EDT

Like I said before there will be no peace in Northern Ireland until you rid it of the British cancer. Relocate the Brits back to the Queen in England and give them all 6 Pounds a piece for their troubles. That's 2 pounds more than their worth!

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citizen69 | Jul 14, 2010, 05:13 PM EDT

@ feliciamaisey: An open-minded post with some good points. @ adrienrain: Interesting, and better than a violent protest. @ Nelsonbarry: It's not as simple as that. This parade didn't go out of its way to walk past the nationalist ardoyne area. North Belfast is unique in that it is made up of many pockets of unionist & nationalist neighborhoods existing side by side. It basically impossible to get anywhere without going through "the other sides" turf. @johnkelso: sounds like you're "spreading a bit of hate" of your own.

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jimnsandy | Jul 14, 2010, 04:49 PM EDT

If common sense were used, the parades would be stopped. This is just rubbing salt into a wound and never allowing it to heal. There is no legitimate purpose for these marches. History has proven time and time again that the marchers incite riots.

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johnkelso | Jul 14, 2010, 03:34 PM EDT

I agree with you Nelsonbarry just ignore the idiots and that would crush their little egos. The Brits are just plain morons and don't have much to celebrate these days. Team England at the World Cup is just another reminder how pathetic the Country is.

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Nelsonbarry | Jul 14, 2010, 03:25 PM EDT

Just once, Id like to see the march take place with no one watching. It's only done to cause agravation. If everyone stayed home, drew thier shades as it passed and if your out on the strret just turn your back and pretend it's not there. Just stay out of the area it's going through, I'll bet it would stop after a few years because no one cares about it. The event is excitement ,only because there is opposition, if no opposition, no excitement. Try this next year and the reports would be Orange parade was held and no one cared.

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