Protest planned after sectarian parade approved for Ardoyne

A Sinn Féin-linked residents group is to protest against an Orange Order parade after a shock decision to give the go-ahead to a march through a republican area in north Belfast in defiance of an eight year old agreement.

The coat-trailing parade by the anti-Catholic masonic organisation to mark ‘Orange Heritage Week’, is set to take place past the Ardoyne shop-fronts on Saturday morning.

The Parades Commission, which has adjudicated on the routes of contentious parades since 1998, decided to allow the march go ahead on Monday in a bizarrely-worded determination which called for “balance between the needs of the community and the rights of the individual”.

The main Protestant marching season ended in violent scenes on August 31, when the ‘last Saturday’ parades by the secretive anti-Catholic ‘Royal Black Institution’ shut down several nationalist areas and resulted in rioting in Derry.

‘Orange Heritage Week’ is a relatively recent development and has extended the marching season into September.

In June, tensions resurfaced after members of the Orange Order applied for ‘return’ evening parade through Ardoyne, which was rejected at the last moment. In the past, there was large-scale disorder when attempts were made to force Orange Order parades through the area.

Sectarian tensions were again exacerbated this week by hardline unionist MP Carla Lockhart after she promoted a related loyalist band parade during which offensive anti-Catholic tunes were played.

The 2016 agreement in Ardoyne saw a voluntary moratorium placed on future return parades through the area, but this has now been reneged upon by Saturday’s parade, which is in excess of the five morning parades which take place with agreement each year.

Unusually, the Crumlin and Ardoyne Residents Association (CARA) has applied to hold a protest, with up to 100 people expected to take part, while the more radical Greater Ardoyne Residents Coalition (GARC) is set to separately “observe” the event.

CARA said the parade is in breach of an agreement reached in 2016, and “could result in real difficulties, including the potential for negative impact on relations and disorder”.

It has also applied for review and met the Parades Commission on Wednesday to present their case.

A CARA spokesperson said: “The Crumlin Road and Ardoyne Residents’ Association (CARA) have been granted an urgent review of a determination on a parade up the Crumlin Road passing Ardoyne, Mountainview and the Dales, this Saturday morning, 21 September.

“We have discovered that the determination was based on misleading and inaccurate information presented to the Parades Commission, including in contrasting 11/9 submissions by the police.

“This misinformation has led to a completely contradictory determination made on a morning parade just weeks ago on July 13. This parade once again is an attempt to break an agreement by the Orange Order and CARA made in 2016 and was guaranteed by independent mediators.

“The Loyal Orders still hold five annual morning parades on the Crumlin Road which we agreed not to protest against. The people of this area have had peace and normality in their lives since 2016 and want that to continue into the future.

“Cross-community relations have been improving over the years and we very much hope that will continue. This appalling decision has the potential to set back the progress made since the agreement was struck.”

Urgent Appeal