Kilkeel, why the difference??

[Wasp]

I am interested to hear the views of everyone who is interested. Here are some facts concerning nationalist parades in Kilkeel.

(1) Each year on St. Patrick's Day (17th March) and 15th August Nationalist Bands parade Kilkeel morning and evening.

(2) None of the four bands participating in the parade are local.

(3)A triumphalist and aggressive crowd of "supporters" travel from a wide area to gather in the town centre.

(4) These "supporters" have in recent years been involved in violent attacks on the Police and on Protestants trying to go about their normal business.

(6) The parade route passes several Churches and is directly through an area that is at least 80% Protestant.

(7) A huge security presence is required to police the parade through the town (It is estimated that as many personnel are required to put this parade through Kilkeel as are required to prevent Portadown Orangemen walking home from Church along the Garvaghy Road).

(8) The parades disrupt the business and community life of the town for a number of hours.

(9) Despite all the provocation the Protestants of Kilkeel have not reacted. Instead they have shown tolerance and respect for another community.

(10) A recently established residents group in Kilkeel "Mourne Residents For Justice" spell it out very clearly when they say "The roads of Kilkeel like those in the rest of Ulster do not belong to anyone. Nationalists have a right to use them for their traditional parades.The same however has to be said for Orange parades".

[leeside]

Do you think the parade should be stopped, wasp?

[Wasp]

No I don't. The troublemakers yes, but not the parade.

[leeside]

Was there trouble at the parade?

[Wasp]

There has been some trouble at the parade as posted above, but to what extent I am not sure. Although any violent attacks is too muh trouble regarless of who did it.

[leeside]

Its a shame that these types of parades, both Catholic and Protestant both have a thuggish element that follows them through areas in a triumphalist manner. Policing who turns up at these parades must be near impossible.

Is there dialogue between the local residents group and the parade organizers? Or is like in Portadown where they refuse to even acknowledge the existence or concerns of the resident groups. I hope they're not taking a leaf out of there book. I would like to think that these groups would have learned from such apathy.

[Wasp]

From what I gather residents say they have a right to march. Point 10.

[leeside]

So, should all parades be banned or permitted in your opinion?

[Shades40]

Kilkeel the town that even paints Loyalist murals on the roads?? any wonder they enjoy walking and stomping the road

[earl]

If the residents are not happy with the parade, and it's acting in the manner as highlighted, then the residents should form a commitee and put a case in front of the parades commision to have it banned. The parade organisers should be talking to and planning with the local residents and businesses to come to an agreed arrangement that suits everybody.
If none of the residents are complaining or taking action, then I don't really see the point of this thread. The residents rights are paramount and if they want to change things, they can.

[Wasp]

The point of the thread is to highlight the difference in tolerance shown between two communities to do with parades.

Leeside very few if any parades should be banned. But let's say the OO decided they want to walk up the falls or republicans to walk up the Shankhill then it's a BIG BAN straight away.

We all have a right to walk the roads that we share everyday, no community owns them and nationalis bands have as much right as loyalist bands.

[Wasp]

setanta said:

WASP, can you tell us or point us in the direction od the catalogue of distruction the parade supporters cause and can you also point us to the part that says there can be no Protestant Bands in the parade?
St Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. Not just the bits we chose to follow now......

As pointed out in recent years supporters have been involved in violent attacks on both the police and Protestants. On your St Patrick comment I didn't know St Patricks day was on the 15th August as well. Do republican bands lead or take part in loyalist parades? Do loyalist bands lead or take part in republican/nationalist parades?

Were invitations sent to loyalist bands to march?

If you know anything about up here you will know that republican bands take part in republican parades and loyalist bands take part in loyalist parades. These two parades are nationalist parades, the St Patrick days parade was organised by nationalists including the AOH.

Now being realistic would republican bands march in a parade organised by loyalists such as say the Somme parade?

[earl]

wasp said:

The point of the thread is to highlight the difference in tolerance shown between two communities to do with parades.

No this thread doesn't highlight the difference of attitudes between the communities on parades. It highlights the attitudes of those in Kilkeel, but to then use that to cover 1.7 million people is ridiculous!

Sure I could use the same tactic of giving an example of a parade the OO have which passes off peacefully, and there's 100's to choose from, to highlight the tolerence of the Nationalist communities towards parades, but we both know that these instances don't cover every instance.

[Wasp]

Setanta the two parades are organised by the AOH, now get real that is hardly something that loyalists would want to be involved in and likewise the other way round. St Patricks day is meant to be for all, but republicans have all too often hijacked the occasion and it is only in recent years that more Unionists are becoming involved. Take the St Patricks parade in London, an IRA band from Scotland were invited and marched. I didn't happen to see any uvf/uda bands.

You maybe don't celebrate imperialism but you do celebrate the acts of terrorists.

[lochy]

WASP, By saying that an IRA band was playing you need to be careful. Are you saying openly that all members are in the IRA and paraded through London. That aort of blanket "outing" can lead to legal problems for sites.
This is the Martin Doherty that they are named after

Man Killed As UVF Attack Dublin Pub - But Bomb Fails to Explode. A 35-year-old man from Dublin was shot dead and a second man seriously injured in a gun and bomb attack on a pub in Dublin's Pearse Street where a fundraiser for republican political prisoners was being held on May 21. Martin Doherty from Finglas was killed when the outlawed Ulster Volunteer Force attacked The Widow Scallan's pub, where he was serving as doorman, at 11 p.m. An 181b bomb planted by the loyalists failed to explode because the detonator, concealed in a hold-all, went off when it ...

He was in the IRA and so perhaps they shouldn't be allowed, but to do your general routine and do a blanket condemnation on all nationalist parades as supporting terrorists is just silly. I mean I can drag up all sorts of examples with photographs of Orange Order parades that show bands actively glorifying the UVF. I dont however feel that this reflects all OO parades and those who take part in them.