Republican News · Thursday 27 June 2002

Parades Commission ignores Springfield residents

The Parades Commission has outraged Springfield Road residents after it again gave the go ahead for an Orange parade through the nationalist Springfield Road in West Belfast on Saturday 29 June.

Residents are seeking an urgent meeting with the Commission, especially as that body ignored an initiative put forward by the residents in an effort to ease tensions ahead of Saturday's march.

Residents' spokesperson Frances McAuley also accused the Parades Commission of rewarding the Orange Order, which had looked on the compromise initiative with "total negativity".

"In an attempt to reach a compromise over the contentious march," said McAuley, "we launched an initiative which called on the Orange Order to reroute through Mackies Factory, which is further up the Springfield Road.

"In return, the residents offered to scale down their own protest and not oppose the June parade. Our proposals were aimed at resolving this particular problem on a cross community basis and were totally ignored by the Parades Commission, who were kept informed of all the proposals.

"After all these years and all the conditions laid down by the Parades Commission, which the organisers of the Whiterock Parade broke, the Orange Order is still allowed to come through the peaceline and march on the nationalist Springfield Road. And our willingness to reach an acceptable accommodation has also been met with total negativity by the Orange Order."

As well asking the Orange Order to reroute through Mackies, the residents asked the Orange bands not to play music until they reached the roundabout at the West Circular Road roundabout. The residents asked the parade organisers not to march past the Ardoyne shops and that the Orange Order voluntarily reroute its 12 July parade on the Springfield Road. The residents also called for a scaling down of the massive Crown forces' presence on the Springfield Road, which is highly provocative.

Last year, leading loyalists stewarded the parade when it broke the conditions laid down by the Parades Commission. The Orange Order also brought busloads of Orangemen through the Workman Avenue gates onto the Springfield Road.

Tension had been high in the area last year after the RUC, in full riot gear and in force, sealed off the area before the parade.

In June 2000, loyalists in full paramilitary uniform and carrying UDA/UFF flags were allowed to march unhindered by parade organisers. On the same day Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly received stitches after he was hit with a baton by a member of the RUC

"This is the Orange Order's reward for their intransigence, and with all the recent events around interfaces in Belfast this decision is sheer madness," said Frances McAuley.

Sinn Féin councillor Fra McCann described the decision as a "slap in the face" for local residents.