Tension rises in Lower Ormeau
by Ned Kelly
Nationalists and international observers have slammed Monday's
decision by the Parades Commission to allow the 13 July Orange
parade down the Lower Ormeau Road.
While the Parades Commission ``applauded the efforts of the Lower
Ormeau Concerned Community (LOCC) to secure dialogue'' and
recognised both the need to ``break the cycle'' and the
``cumultative adverse affect on the nationalist community'', they
still ruled to allow the Orange parade across the Ormeau bridge,
as long as it is before 8.30am and without music..
Attacking the decision, Gerry Adams said, ``the Parades Commission
determination is a trade-off. It has nothing to do with the
objective application of the Parades Commission's own criteria.''
He added, ``unfortunately there are those who wish to maintain the
culture of supremacy and domination.''
US Congressman, Donald Payne, here as an international observer,
said, ``the demographic make-up of the area, the history of
disturbance and the presence of sensitive sites have not been
given due weight.''
He added, ``previous Orange parades along the Lower Ormeau Road
have led to serious violation of the human rights of reisidents.''
The Congressman called on the Parades Commission to reverse its
decision and for Marjorie Mowlam to intervene. He said he would
raise the issue with the US Congress and urge President Clinton
to pressure the British government ``to ensure that justice is
done''.
Gerard Rice of the LOCC said, ``the rights of Catholics to live
with respect and dignity has been sacrificed for political
expediency.''
After pledging to mount a peaceful protest and a High Court
challenge to the Parades Commission's ruling, Rice added, ``if the
British government capitulates to violence then there is little
this community can do.'' Rice also pledged to clamp down on any
violence coming from the area. He said, ``we will not sit by, like
others, if violence breaks out, we will do all in our power to
halt it.''
Nationalists believe that the three hour delay in Monday's
anouncement was linked to rumours circulating that David Trimble
was threatening to resign as First Minister. Significantly all
morning he side-stepped the issue, saying that the rumours about
his position being untenable were ``a bit overheated''. Not until
later in the day, after the Parades Commission had announced its
decision, did Trimble rebut the claims.
As anger mounted on the Ormeau Road a relative of 18-year-old
Peter Magee, killed in the 1992 Sean Graham bookies massacre,
said she was ``disgusted'' by the decision. Given that during
previous Orange parades past the bookies Orangemen and their
loyalist supporters have danced and taunted residents by holding
up five fingers in reference to the massacre, relatives of those
murdered in the UFF attack said they feared that they would be
subjected to yet another display of triumphalism.
Residents of the nationalist area also said they expected a
repeat of the 27-hour crown force invasion and curfew of the area
that accompanied the last Twelfth Orange parade to cross the
Ormeau bridge, when nationalists were also beaten off the road by
the RUC and held under curfew.
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