Tour of the North tension mounts
By Mick Naughton.
With the contentious `Tour of the North' Orange parade due to go
through nationalist communities in North Belfast in two weeks
time residents have called on the RUC and the Parades Commission
to say whether or not the Orange march is to be allowed through.
Speculation is rife that the parade, which travels through the
nationalist Cliftonville Road area, along the Antrim Road and
past the New Lodge, all nationalist areas, has already been given
the go-ahead by both the RUC and Parades Commission.
d speaking to An Phoblacht Anthony Barnes, spokesperson for the
nationalist Community Response to Sectarianism group; an umbrella
group which speaks for the areas affected by the Orange march,
says that North Belfast residents will be mounting a campaign in
the run up to 19 June to have the `Tour' rerouted.
Barnes asked, ``will the RUC use force again to push thousands of
Orangemen through three nationalist areas?''
Barnes added, ``up until now we have been met with characteristic
silence from the RUC. Obviously we won't sit around waiting for a
response so we have planned a number of events, which include
white line protests and pickets of RUC barracks to try and expose
the RUC's tactics. We will approach local schools, churches and,
crucially, local traders who lost out heavily two years ago when
hundreds of protesting nationalists were dragged off Cliftonpark
Avenue by RUC riot squads who hospitalised one elderly woman
while Sinn Fein negotiator Gerry Kelly and other party
councillors were also assaulted''.
Over 40 families were also burnt out of their homes in the
aftermath to the march.
The Tour of the North has witnessed similar violent scenes over
the past 30 years, except for a 15 year period through the 70s
and early 80s when the crown forces banned it due to its
potential for serious trouble.
To date the Orange Order have refused to enter into dialogue with
north Belfast nationalists.
Barnes also refuted Orange Order allegations that Sinn Fein was
running the campaign. ``Sinn Fein get over 6,000 votes in the
Oldpark electoral ward so it's completely normal that Sinn Fein
members and supporters are involved in every aspect of community
life and it's not on for people like Ulster Unionist `No' man
Nelson McCausland to go off on this spurious trail.
``Any and all political views are contained in our different
residents groups but I would remind everyone that republicans do
not walk away from the various serious issues affecting our
community, particuarly one as serious as this''.
A contradiction for the Orange organisers is that unionist
politicans demanded the extension of a `peace' wall down to
Cliftonpark Avenue where it meets the British army's Girdwood
barracks. Yet on 19 June the same unionists want to breach the
wall and march into nationalist areas.
other member of the group, Raymond Glover, highlighted the fact
that the march is planned to occur just six days before the
Assembly elections, something not lost on the bigoted Spirit of
Drumcree group which has been active recently in the Lower
Oldpark and Crumlin Road areas.
``The possibility of a Drumcree standoff is a real fear'', Glover
said.
Meanwhile SF's Gerry Kelly has commented on the refusal of both
the Orange Order and RUC to deal openly with the residents,
``without the British army and RUC the Orange Order could not walk
through these areas. Sinn Fein have consistently called on the
Orange Order to engage in dialogue with residents with regard to
this very serious situation. There is an alternative route which
avoids confrontation, one they should take and we are totally
behind the residents of Cliftonville, Newington and the New Lodge
in their campaign to get this march re-routed.''
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