Post by Shades40 on Sept 2, 2007 2:40:47 GMT
Barry McCaffrey, Irish News)
Nationalists last night (Sunday) demanded loyalist bands be prosecuted after they flouted a Parades Commission ban on The Sash being played outside a Catholic church for the second time in two years.
On Saturday up to 400 members of the Royal Black Institution and six loyalist bands took part in a parade past St Matthew's Catholic church on the Newtownards Road, close to the nationalist Short Strand in east Belfast.
Nationalists were outraged after a number of bands ignored a ruling banning music being played while outside the Catholic church.
Nationalist anger was further heightened by the fact that this was the second year in a row that loyalist bands have played the The Sash outside the church.
Earlier this month the Parades Commission criticised the playing of loyalist tunes outside St Matthew's as "entirely unacceptable".
It is understood police files have been sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) over last year's parade, however no action was taken.
A PSNI spokesman said that any parade breaches on Saturday would be included in a report due to be submitted to the commission.
However Sinn Féin's Niall O Donnghaile accused the institution of an "utter disregard" for nationalists.
"There is frustration that the Black Perceptory repeated the disgraceful scenes of last year during its parade on Saturday," he said.
"We all need to recognise that marching within areas where there is deep animosity does little to encourage good community relations.
"This is an interface area where much good work has gone on in recent months but such actions only serve to destroy what has been achieved."
However Ulster Unionist assembly member Michael Copeland labelled nationalists as "serial objectioners".
Mr Copeland confirmed that music had been played while the parade had passed St Matthew's but denied it had been of a sectarian nature.
"These complaints and constant bickerings are a nonsense," he said.
"The key to all this is to allow this parade to pass along the Newtownards Road unmolested.
"The parade was totally uneventful but the situation is not helped by republicans constantly complaining about being offended.
"Many of these same people who are claiming to be offended were the same people who only a few weeks ago took part in a march to Belfast city centre which saw masked men in mock uniforms prancing around with guns.
"It is hard for unionists to have to listen to these same people now complaining about a simple piece of music.
[]"This is a section of road which in terms of postal addresses is 100% unionist." [/b]
A Parades Commission spokesman said it would study reports of Saturday's parade in the near future.
August 28, 2007
>>link<<
Hmm weren't the masked men at the march for truth mock Loyalists? "allow this to happen unmolested" as in let us do what we want? and hardly 100% Protestant if it passes a Catholic church? which is a sad excuse for breaking parade commission rulings. Personally I have no problem with the Sash but actions like these do little to reconcile both communities and has a tendency to escalate into worse situations.
Nationalists last night (Sunday) demanded loyalist bands be prosecuted after they flouted a Parades Commission ban on The Sash being played outside a Catholic church for the second time in two years.
On Saturday up to 400 members of the Royal Black Institution and six loyalist bands took part in a parade past St Matthew's Catholic church on the Newtownards Road, close to the nationalist Short Strand in east Belfast.
Nationalists were outraged after a number of bands ignored a ruling banning music being played while outside the Catholic church.
Nationalist anger was further heightened by the fact that this was the second year in a row that loyalist bands have played the The Sash outside the church.
Earlier this month the Parades Commission criticised the playing of loyalist tunes outside St Matthew's as "entirely unacceptable".
It is understood police files have been sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) over last year's parade, however no action was taken.
A PSNI spokesman said that any parade breaches on Saturday would be included in a report due to be submitted to the commission.
However Sinn Féin's Niall O Donnghaile accused the institution of an "utter disregard" for nationalists.
"There is frustration that the Black Perceptory repeated the disgraceful scenes of last year during its parade on Saturday," he said.
"We all need to recognise that marching within areas where there is deep animosity does little to encourage good community relations.
"This is an interface area where much good work has gone on in recent months but such actions only serve to destroy what has been achieved."
However Ulster Unionist assembly member Michael Copeland labelled nationalists as "serial objectioners".
Mr Copeland confirmed that music had been played while the parade had passed St Matthew's but denied it had been of a sectarian nature.
"These complaints and constant bickerings are a nonsense," he said.
"The key to all this is to allow this parade to pass along the Newtownards Road unmolested.
"The parade was totally uneventful but the situation is not helped by republicans constantly complaining about being offended.
"Many of these same people who are claiming to be offended were the same people who only a few weeks ago took part in a march to Belfast city centre which saw masked men in mock uniforms prancing around with guns.
"It is hard for unionists to have to listen to these same people now complaining about a simple piece of music.
[]"This is a section of road which in terms of postal addresses is 100% unionist." [/b]
A Parades Commission spokesman said it would study reports of Saturday's parade in the near future.
August 28, 2007
>>link<<
Hmm weren't the masked men at the march for truth mock Loyalists? "allow this to happen unmolested" as in let us do what we want? and hardly 100% Protestant if it passes a Catholic church? which is a sad excuse for breaking parade commission rulings. Personally I have no problem with the Sash but actions like these do little to reconcile both communities and has a tendency to escalate into worse situations.
