Since our last post we in the Forum have been extremely busy behind the scenes planning for the fantastic Covenant Day parade which also demonstrated to republicans and the Parades Commission just how strong the marching fraternity is. We have also engaged with various stakeholders across our community to gauge opposition to the continuing campaign against our cultural expression by Republicans and the Parades Commission.
We wish to thank all those who sent us photographic evidence of republican bands stopping outside churches (even when services were being held) to play without any interference by the PSNI or criticism by the Parades Commission.
We have shared this evidence with the PSNI, Justice Minister and the PC.... not that it made a blind bit of difference!
The chairman of the PC, Peter Osborne, believes that the broad unionist community support the PC; ignoring the ever growing anger that we have encountered during our meetings with numerous groups and individuals.
During the past number of weeks the PSNI in North and West Belfast have questioned approximately 150 members of bands and members of the Orange Order and the Royal Black Institution about
alleged breaches of PC Determinations. Files have been forwarded to the Public Prosecution Service. Many more arrests are yet to come. This one sided approach by the PSNI is counter productive as it is putting a great strain on existing relationships with our community and only increasing our anger which may lead to further defiance against PC determinations.
We all witnessed the republican parade along Clifton St. in Belfast which was not deemed by the PSNI to be contentious and therefore not referred to the PC. The PSNI forced a spontaneous protest by unionists off the street to allow this parade through and the anger of unionists spilled over.
At the moment bands are bearing the brunt of the PSNI focus and the Forum has assisted and advised many band members of what to do if contacted by the PSNI. If YOU are approached you MUST contact a solicitor BEFORE going to the police station.
How do we change legislation which is applied unfairly?
A number of years ago Margaret Thatcher introduced Poll Tax which proved so unpopular with the British public that many citizens who had never broken the law before came unto the streets to protest against the Tax which was eventually removed.
Is this what we have to do?
There are options.......
Change the membership of the Parades Commission.
The current members are openly anti Orange and anti bands. More balance is required.
Appeals to the Secretary of State by our politicians to deal with the imbalance in appointing Parades Commissioners has fallen on deaf ears.
Disband the Commission.
It would have to be replaced with something else. The new body would have to abandon the current attitude of seeking permission from republicans through dialogue which has proved unsuccessful thus far. This option could also take a minimum of 3 years to write the required legislation.
Look at what else is "out there" around parades and protests.
To explore these options and other ideas the Forum has participated in discussion with the Orange Order, Royal Black Institution, Community groups and unionist politicians. The Forum itself has a number of bands represented within it and we will insist that the voice of bands is heard and involved in designing the way forward and not be left outside and then asked to endorse the plans of others.
Be in no doubt that this battle is for the very right to hold to a cultural identity and have the right to express it.
18/11/2012
27/08/2012
In the aftermath of last Saturdays Royal Black parade in Belfast we here the same old call ; lets have dialogue to resolve this. Those who believe that the bands playing was intended to insult the Catholic church are way off the mark or are deliberately trying to obscure the real problem that has been festering for some time.
The Parades Commission has been applying the legislation is an unfair and biased way and what's worse is that our elected politicians and indeed the Secretary of State are powerless to intervene. Absolute power given to seven Commissioners some of whom are widely known to be against the Loyal Orders and we expect fairness??!!
There are numerous examples of Republican parades playing music going past Protestant churches and stopping to do so. NO action taken by PSNI or Parades Commission. Parades Commission monitors have been in attendance and reported these abuses but the Commissioners have told them they are only interested in Loyal Order parades.
Last week at a meeting between the Commission and the DUP it was stated that a Protestant church does not have the same status as a Catholic church.
Does Commissioner Rev Brian Kennaway really support this viewpoint?
Does Rev Leslie Carroll support this viewpoint? After all, she has stated publicly that she supports the Commission.
Perhaps the Presbyterian Moderator could clear this up?
Then we had Minister of Culture Caral Ni Chuilin (SF) calling for dialogue. (Gerry Kelly does this all the time too.) Yet both of them were in a delegation that engaged in a series of meetings with representatives of our Parades Forum. Both of them are aware that our reps have engaged with various groups from their community. Both of them are aware that some of the reps they met declared themselves to be members of the Orange Order and the Apprentice Boys. So who is it they want to talk to? The Parades Commission have confirmed all of this as their Chairman, Peter Osbourne claimed the Commission spent £100k on various processes.
The problem is that Republicanism is so fractured and factionalised that they are unable to reach agreement with our community on this issue. Sinn Fein want to reach out to our community and persuade them that their future lies in a United Ireland. Difficult to be a persuader when your out there agitating at the same time.
Caral also said that everyone at Carrick Hill protest was a resident. We can confirm that people who were protesting at Ardoyne earlier that morning (and claim to live there) were also at Carrick Hill.
Our community has had enough of the Parades Commission and what is worrying is the effect this is having on relationships with the PSNI. The actions of some of their officers towards our community reps clearly shows they have lost their way on community policing.
Our community has shown remarkable courage and discipline over a decade of unfair Parades Commission decisions and intensified republican aggression. Our community reps have been taken for granted and undermined by the Commission and the PSNI.
Enough is enough! Our very identity is being eroded and criminalised. The current Commissioners need to be replaced by a better spectrum of people or a better process. Delay could disable the very peace process.
The Parades Commission has been applying the legislation is an unfair and biased way and what's worse is that our elected politicians and indeed the Secretary of State are powerless to intervene. Absolute power given to seven Commissioners some of whom are widely known to be against the Loyal Orders and we expect fairness??!!
There are numerous examples of Republican parades playing music going past Protestant churches and stopping to do so. NO action taken by PSNI or Parades Commission. Parades Commission monitors have been in attendance and reported these abuses but the Commissioners have told them they are only interested in Loyal Order parades.
Last week at a meeting between the Commission and the DUP it was stated that a Protestant church does not have the same status as a Catholic church.
Does Commissioner Rev Brian Kennaway really support this viewpoint?
Does Rev Leslie Carroll support this viewpoint? After all, she has stated publicly that she supports the Commission.
Perhaps the Presbyterian Moderator could clear this up?
Then we had Minister of Culture Caral Ni Chuilin (SF) calling for dialogue. (Gerry Kelly does this all the time too.) Yet both of them were in a delegation that engaged in a series of meetings with representatives of our Parades Forum. Both of them are aware that our reps have engaged with various groups from their community. Both of them are aware that some of the reps they met declared themselves to be members of the Orange Order and the Apprentice Boys. So who is it they want to talk to? The Parades Commission have confirmed all of this as their Chairman, Peter Osbourne claimed the Commission spent £100k on various processes.
The problem is that Republicanism is so fractured and factionalised that they are unable to reach agreement with our community on this issue. Sinn Fein want to reach out to our community and persuade them that their future lies in a United Ireland. Difficult to be a persuader when your out there agitating at the same time.
Caral also said that everyone at Carrick Hill protest was a resident. We can confirm that people who were protesting at Ardoyne earlier that morning (and claim to live there) were also at Carrick Hill.
Our community has had enough of the Parades Commission and what is worrying is the effect this is having on relationships with the PSNI. The actions of some of their officers towards our community reps clearly shows they have lost their way on community policing.
Our community has shown remarkable courage and discipline over a decade of unfair Parades Commission decisions and intensified republican aggression. Our community reps have been taken for granted and undermined by the Commission and the PSNI.
Enough is enough! Our very identity is being eroded and criminalised. The current Commissioners need to be replaced by a better spectrum of people or a better process. Delay could disable the very peace process.
21/07/2012
Despite FACE to FACE dialogue with Sinn Fein, Parades Commission and residents groups over the past 10 years we are no nearer to resolving this problem. Since SF formed the residents groups in the early 1990,s the bigotry and intolerance displayed by Irish Republicans towards the public expression of our culture has plagued our community. Nowhere has this been so shamefully demonstrated than at Ardoyne in North Belfast! The government's Parades Commission has ruled that
The Parades Commission piles humiliation upon humiliation on those from our Loyal Orders and our community who visit them in their ivory tower to express our point of view.
The Parades Commission rewards republican violence.
The violence at Ardoyne is nothing new to the long suffering Protestants who live along the interfaces bordering their Catholic "neighbours". In the weeks leading up to the Twelfth houses in Twaddell Avenue were attacked repeatedly.
The police and media know that those participating in the GARC "parade" on the evening of the Twelfth had armed themselves with an assortment of missiles which they hurled at Protestant residents opposed to their march of shame. They were still allowed to proceed.
The Parades Commission know this too yet they refuse to make any public comment.One Commissioner, Rev Brian Kennaway avoided talking about this by focusing on a minor incident of a band playing outside a chapel. Is that more important than the violence that poured out from the GARC parade?!!
The Protestant communities which reside along the length of the Crumlin road are to be commended for the support they gave to the local Orangemen returning home and for the restraint they showed in the face of violent republican aggression.
We must support all the Loyal Order parades along the Crumlin road. If they are stopped then the rest of us will be next to be driven out like the people of Torrens were.
- we can't carry our flags or banners
- we can't play music not even hymns
- we can't whistle, hum or sing
- the band is not allowed to play a drumbeat to keep pace.
- our friends and families are not permitted to walk on the pavement.
The Parades Commission piles humiliation upon humiliation on those from our Loyal Orders and our community who visit them in their ivory tower to express our point of view.
The Parades Commission rewards republican violence.
The violence at Ardoyne is nothing new to the long suffering Protestants who live along the interfaces bordering their Catholic "neighbours". In the weeks leading up to the Twelfth houses in Twaddell Avenue were attacked repeatedly.
The police and media know that those participating in the GARC "parade" on the evening of the Twelfth had armed themselves with an assortment of missiles which they hurled at Protestant residents opposed to their march of shame. They were still allowed to proceed.
The Parades Commission know this too yet they refuse to make any public comment.One Commissioner, Rev Brian Kennaway avoided talking about this by focusing on a minor incident of a band playing outside a chapel. Is that more important than the violence that poured out from the GARC parade?!!
The Protestant communities which reside along the length of the Crumlin road are to be commended for the support they gave to the local Orangemen returning home and for the restraint they showed in the face of violent republican aggression.
We must support all the Loyal Order parades along the Crumlin road. If they are stopped then the rest of us will be next to be driven out like the people of Torrens were.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)