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.”
31 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.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.
ardgehane | Jul 16, 2010, 10:57 PM EDT
The more things change - the more thay stay the same.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Katecait | Jul 14, 2010, 02:34 PM EDT
I have a solution! STOP having the Orange Order Parades!!!! Duh!
johnkelso | Jul 14, 2010, 01:57 PM EDT
Being a American Irishman I really get sick hearing about the Orange Order and their gay march every year. I wonder how these nasty teeth having British would feel about us Americans having parades and parties to celebrate the arse kicking we gave Cornhole Jackson and his British soldiers here on American soil. The thought of the Orange idiots rubbing salt in the Irish wounds every year is stupid period. This parade is nothing more than a opportunity to spread hate and remind everyone about the past. There will never be peace in Northern Ireland until the day every Austin Powers tooth looking British person leaves Ireland. The British are a cancer to any country and the cancer needs to be treated.
adrienrain | Jul 14, 2010, 01:55 PM EDT
Here's a better idea. Start gathering up fabric to make a clown version of the Orange Order's clothing. Should be fun. and then learn to do the make up. As many versions as possible. Next time the Orange Order marches through your neighborhood, but on yer orange duds and big shoes and - oh yeah - you need some funny drums - and follow the parade - or at least GREET it.
feliciamaisey | Jul 14, 2010, 01:18 PM EDT
This is perhaps the most perplexing news to come out of Northern Ireland in some time; when last I was there, there had been a few killings by dissident groups railing against the Peace Process & Agreement. I think what both sides need to decide is whether they are more willing to live and let live in this Century, or keep heaping controversy and hateisms. While Catholics have every right to feel that the Orange Order parades are hurtful and a constant reminder of a time that no longer exists (the Battle was how many decades ago?), they do themselves no honor by rioting. By the same token, the Orange Order is a bit insensitive to their neighbors' feelings and they promote the victory annually, which could be seen as rubbing the Catholic noses in it, and yet they have a right to celebrate. If one considers that Catholics and Protestants stood together as neighbors during the Civil Rights Movement, and thirteen died on Bloody Sunday for their right to have parades in Derry, it makes it even more abundantly clear that the OO Parades don't just represent William of Orange's Victory over James, but rather a time when human rights were restricted because one (Catholic minority) would not align themselves with one religion over another (Protestant), nor a foreign ruling country (England)country over their own. The OO Parades, in some ways, remind one that the North is still divided by what is Irish and what is British, what is Catholic and what is Protestant, but worse what is right or what is wrong.
citizen69 | Jul 14, 2010, 11:18 AM EDT
@ Fran Connor: you are entitled to your opinion as are the rest of the guys here, all i'm saying is that there is no excuse for this rioting, shooting at police & hijacking vehicles. People are destroying their own community and costing jobs in these already dire economic times.
Fran Connor | Jul 14, 2010, 10:22 AM EDT
The marches should be banned.
citizen69 | Jul 14, 2010, 09:10 AM EDT
@ ganjadec: No it's not the same thing at all, the O.O don't murder people! Of all the parades throughout the north of ireland on the 12th july only one was controversial. It had to pass by ardoyne shops because there was no alternative route that could have avoided passing an even larger catholic area. It was only 150 Meters at most and takes less than 5 minutes to pass.
Ms.Gail | Jul 14, 2010, 08:58 AM EDT
What have the police proposed as a solution.I'm tired of hearing excuses and reasons. I'd like to hear ideas NEW ideas that could be explored.
ganjadec | Jul 14, 2010, 08:34 AM EDT
People need to realise that if the O.O stopped trying to march through and over Nationalist areas, this would not happen. How would Jews react if Nazis were allowed to walk past their front door, or blacks if the KKK came calling? And yes, it is the same thing.
citizen69 | Jul 14, 2010, 04:16 AM EDT
@semperfidelis: I'm not saying the Order are angels, far from it but you guys are all blaming the O.O. for these riots when according to Sinn Fein the real reason is that dissidents are stirring up trouble. These riots were happening a day before the parades and again last night, a day after the parades when there wasn't an orangeman in sight. There were riots in towns, villages & cities where there were NO controversial parades. The one & only parade that was controversial was a 100 metre walk past a row of storefronts of Ardoyne which was the ONLY possible route and takes two minutes to walk past. The real IRA and others are using kids to riot, I mean some as young as six or seven are plainly seen on TV! Where are the parents here?? Do you think these kids & teenagers are thinking about politics? It's recreational thuggery.
ODonnabhain | Jul 13, 2010, 11:24 PM EDT
These guys are all a bunch of thugs! Why give the Orange Order any attention? That's what they want! And the rioters? Both sides are a disgrace! Doesn't anyone understand that the average person just wants some peace?!
semperfidelis | Jul 13, 2010, 09:23 PM EDT
Right citizen69,as everybody knows, the orangemen are all good sunday go to meeting lads. It's those damn Mary worshipping Fenians that resent triumphial marches celebrating a nearly 400 year old battle going through their neighborhoods every summer that causes the problem. I wish we had something like this every year in Texas, maybe we should invite some peace loving folks to march on the Alamo every march, to celebrate santa anna's victory and show the rest of the world how very tolerant we've become.
citizen69 | Jul 13, 2010, 03:03 PM EDT
Hi ritmomente, this rioting is not really about the Orange marches going through catholic areas. There were riots in various towns around the north where parades went NOWHERE near catholic areas. The Ormeau Road is a such an example, it was blocked off by republican rioters... There was NO orange march down the nationalist end of the Ormeau road. It's dissident activists trying to destroy the peace process. I have never seen effigies of "notable catholics of the day" being burned as was claimed here on IC but admittedly some loyalists do burn tricolours atop their bonfires but that has nothing to do with the Orange Order. By the way, during Republican Internment bonfires, Northern Ireland flags and Union Jacks are burned.
ritmomente | Jul 13, 2010, 10:57 AM EDT
citizen69, the Orangemen have to stop marching through Catholic neighborhoods. And why are they still burning in effigy every notable Catholic of the day? If they want to march through their own neighborhood and bang those massive drums, that's fine. There is also absolutely no excuse for these dissident republicans. Why can't they breathe in peace? The Ormeau Road was blocked off????? I walked down that road at Christmastime. Belfast is one of the coolest cities in the world but will go back to hell if both groups are not contained.
citizen69 | Jul 13, 2010, 09:25 AM EDT
Actually no protestants were involved in any of the rioting. It was orchestrated by dissident republicans to cause trouble and raise tensions during the parades. Sinn Fein have said it was mainly organized by dissidents from outside of these areas encouraging youths to riot in an attempt to create conflict.
Southernpride | Jul 13, 2010, 09:07 AM EDT
More madness from the N.I. Catholic/Protestant lunatics