The Parades Commission's decision to allow the 14 August Apprentice Boys' parade to go ahead along the nationalist Ormeau Road shows that it is yet again bending over backwards to accommodate the Loyal Orders and reward their unsatisfactory attempts at dialogue.
The decision was justified by the Parades Commission on the grounds that the Apprentice Boys had engaged in a series of meetings with the Lower Ormeau Concerned Community (LOCC), and although these meetings have been described as useful by the LOCC, the residents' group says that the issue was far from being resolved.
Gerard Rice, spokesperson for the LOCC, reacted angrily to the decision: ``The Parades Commission is clearly trying to send the message that dialogue, no matter how shallow and meaningless, will result in a parade for the Loyal Orders. That is absolutely unacceptable to our community and we remain totally opposed to this parade.''
``Alistair Graham and others met at Downing Street last week. Obviously the Ormeau Road decision was politically influenced, it has severe repercussions for other areas like Dunloy and Bellaghy - this decision needs to be resisted,'' said Breandán Mac Cionnaith spokesperson for the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition, on 10 August.
Martin McGuinness has called on the leadership of the Apprentice Boys in Derry to ``reconsider their decision to reject the proposal from the Bogside Residents' Group, which if accepted, would have resolved the Derry March and the feeder parades in Lower Ormeau, Lurgan, and Newtownbutler.
``The people of Derry are prepared to accommodate the Apprentice Boys marching through the city on Saturday. They should be prepared to accommodate the wishes of the residents in other areas.''
The Apprentice Boys had rejected a compromise proposal put forward by LOCC which would have allowed them to march along the Ormeau Bridge onto the top part of the Lower Ormeau Road and then turn left along Stranmillis Embankment, thereby avoiding the rest of the Lower Ormeau area.
The rejection of this compromise shows that not only does the nationalist community not have the right to say no to these ``sectarian coat trailing exercises'', but any attempt made by residents' groups to resolve the issue through dialogue will either fall on deaf ears or be totally rejected.
Direct meetings between the LOCC and the Apprentice Boys in recent weeks have shown that the Apprentice Boys are willing to engage in dialogue but have a fixed position and refuse to move towards compromise or resolution of the problem. Nevertheless, they are commended and rewarded for any show of movement, no matter how insignificant, with the opportunity to parade through nationalist areas.
The LOCC has called for mass mobilisation of nationalists on the Ormeau Road at two planned protests on Friday night from 7pm to 9pm and on Saturday morning before the parade begins. Michael Goodman of the LOCC said: ``We are planning a peaceful, dignified and determined protest. Nationalists have to stand up and be counted on this issue.''
Meanwhile a delegation of Sinn Féin councillors, including Lower Ormeau Councillor Seán Hayes, is to meet the Parades Commission in Belfast today, Thursday 12 August.
The delegation will outline the party's opposition to the Parades Commission's decision to allow the Apprentice Boys to parade along the Lower Ormeau Road and call for the decision to be reversed.
Included in the delegation will be the party's leader on Belfast City Council, Sean Hayes who represents South Belfast as well as Ita Gray and Danny Lavery.
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