Despite the significant improvements at Tour of the North (agreed) and Whiterock (non-agreed) parades, trouble flared at an anti-parade protest during the Glengormley mini-Twelfth. Protestors threw golfballs, paintbombs, urine-filled bottles and other missiles. This followed a hoax bomb alert at the Glengormley Orange Arch earlier in the day.
If you want to get a flavour of the proceedings at the Political Studies Association conference on its opening day, then the Storify collation below will bring you some of the images, tweets and sounds of the day. Particular highlights included: the Opening Plenary with David Blunkett, Peter Riddell and Matthew Flinders; and the late [...] read our review »
It’s the quiet ones you have to watch, they say. When I last saw Eamonn Namcarrow, back in the mid 1980s he was a congenial, good-natured and highly sociable young lad. The next time was 26 years later, in Lavery’s Gin Palace in Bradbury Place. He’d just brought out his first book, Holywood Star about [...] read our review »
i had the misfortune to be in glengorlmey at 9pm last night.
rival gangs rioting in the middle of the main road. police everywhere.
this is what we have to look forward to every summer .
The Newsletter has said that both sides were involved in missile throwing, as have the PSNI.
JIM,
Fair_deal didn’t say they weren’t.
He just omitted to say they were.
I’m sure it was just a simple mistake, because he surely wouldn’t be trying to slant a story in a particular direction or anything, would he, what with him being ‘fair’ aand all that?
JIM & SC
The article linked to above had the PSNI version. Experience (one I know nationalists have from comments on here) is that a PSNI press office version of events has varying degrees of accuracy.
As I understand it a section of the protesters attacked the parade. Later there were confrontations on the main street (a la canwebe’s unfortunate experience). Hence the PSNI statement is inaccurate as what happened when the parade reached the protest but accurate about what happened in Glengormley overall.
Canwebe’s experiences would seem to put a question mark over the claim that they brought the situation under control quickly as does the fact that the entire length of the parade was attacked.
Someone also claimed to me that Briege Meehan said in a radio interview that those who threw the missiles weren’t local nationalists but from Antrim and Randalstown. Anyway verify or deny?
If all you want to do is take lumps out of each other with words rather than bottles of urine are you any different from the unfortunate spides, mokes, rising sons etc?
Fair Deal may not be a poster boy for reasonable engaged loyalism but he’s about the best you are going to get at the moment.
“North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds said the incident was “yet another act of republican sectarianism and intolerance towards the unionist and Orange tradition”.
Ironic, given the sectarian intolerance that is part and parcel of Unionism and the Orange tradition…
Was the OO bloke from last year’s Whiterock fiasco there to “condone” the violence?
“There is a clear message going out to the unionist community from republicans and it is one of intolerance and domination,” said the DUP MP.”
One wonders, given the fact that these little marches of his are an attempt to show Orange dominance over the community, just how ironic, bordering on farcical, his statements are.
It would be interesting to see an Internment Parade going through the Shankill, just to see how much tolerance there is in that neck of the woods.
“It would be interesting to see an Internment Parade going through the Shankill, just to see how much tolerance there is in that neck of the woods.”
Indeed it would, not least because it would be an obvious exercise in coattrailing- as would a loylaist parade up the Falls. It would also be a significant change in the republican culture to become interested in parading- the poor attendances at AOH demos proves that.
Perhaps you should ask yourself if the devious Prods changed their manner of cultural expression, and decided to -say – play cricket at Dunville Park, bus in supporters from the away team -Sandy Row-run a Union Flag up the pole and play GSTQ before starting the game-how tolerant would your community be?
Of course the Shankill would go ape in your example, as would the Falls in mine. But neither should interfere with the other’s traditional cultural events- so carry on playing Gaelic in Carryduff etc , as is your absolute right, and try to reboot your tolerance circuits.
Paramilitary parades should be kept to areas were they are welcome.
There is nothing traditional in paramilitary bands parading past their victims homes.
Could I just ask which part of Glengormley Nationalists are objecting to the marchers going through ?
Unless the parade is going up the Hightown Road, surely Nationalists are going out of their way (literally) to be offended ?
Is this the next stage in the demonisation of the loyal orders ?
Darth:
“Of course the Shankill would go ape in your example, as would the Falls in mine. But neither should interfere with the other’s traditional cultural events- so carry on playing Gaelic in Carryduff etc , as is your absolute right, and try to reboot your tolerance circuits.”
How is it reasonable to compare a game of football to an OO parade. For instance, if unionists don’t want to watch a game of football, they don’t have to go to the game. Its not like they are playing the game out on the public roads to cause unionists an inconvenience. Also what part of a Gaelic football game signifies some kind of victory over the the unionist community. Im not sure if you ever attended a gaelic football game, but they don’t parade up and down the field with a banner proclaiming victory over the unionists in a game from several hundred years ago.
Now as to your suggestion of cricket, if both sides were to limit expressions of their culture to one side playing cricket, and the other side playing Gaelic football, I would be ecstatic. I would even give cricket a try, I understand its an excellent game.
“Perhaps you should ask yourself if the devious Prods changed their manner of cultural expression, and decided to -say – play cricket at Dunville Park, bus in supporters from the away team -Sandy Row-run a Union Flag up the pole and play GSTQ before starting the game-how tolerant would your community be? ”
If the aforementioned cricketers owned and ran Dunville Park as a part of their private property, I don’t think many in ‘our’ community would really care too much. Frankly if it got the oafs off the streets, we’d be delighted!
Though a good question arises – why pick Dunville Park? How many GAA grounds are in such ‘enemy’ territory?
“Protestors threw golfballs, paintbombs, URINE-FILLED BOTTLES and other missiles”…..
I wonder if this is all connected to this http://www.liquidgoldbook.com/news.html ????
Almost a week late, but better late than never….
“For instance, if unionists don’t want to watch a game of football, they don’t have to go to the game. Its not like they are playing the game out on the public roads to cause unionists an inconvenience.”
Really? Have you never been caught behind the convoy of interminably slow buses going into Dublin from Tyrone with the bhoys mooning out the back window, or urinating at the roadside
Also what part of a Gaelic football game signifies some kind of victory over the the unionist community. Or tired to get parked in Clones on the day of a match? Or tried to participate in a service in the Church of Ireland in Clones Square on the same days when the bars are filling up with thirsty fans from Armagh and Tyrone. Not to mention the noise pollution of the cranky old gramaphone “Soldier’s song” at Celtic Park Londonderry on Sundays when visiting the cemetery.Not quite on the scale of the “siege of Drumcree” perhaps, but its still inconvenience. Don’t pretend a GAA match is a hermetically sealed event that doesn’t annoy -even if you might argue people are predisposed to be annoyed-y’know, just like nationalist residents. But if you’re correct, then why do republicans attack the Orange halls in Greencastle,Altnaveigh, Bellaghy when the members are conducting private business in their own property.
“Also what part of a Gaelic football game signifies some kind of victory over the the unionist community”
Well it’s not a victory, but do you think it appropriate to name a team, a ground or a trophy after IRA members who themselves were involved or conspired with people who maimed and murdered non-GAA members? Parity of contempt please. And they may not parade a banner on the pitch, but the Kevin Lynch GAA club in Dungiven is currently flying a black flag and a starry plough on the clubhouse in memory of the eponymous hungerstriker. You’ll be happy if I stick an LVF flag in the socket of my Orange Hall I suppose? Cos I wouldn’t.
“You’ll be happy if I stick an LVF flag in the socket of my Orange Hall I suppose?”
The orange order carry enough paramilitary flags and emblems during parades, there’s no need to fly it from your hall.
Darth, are you *seriously* trying to compare the inconvenience of GAA events with, oh, say, the six days of rioting that followed last year’s Whiterock parade? Comparing inconvenience with Loyalist violence — the rioting, the petrol-bombs, etc? Is that the new standard? Rioting excused by traffic congestion?
Are you serious, or are you just going Coulter on us?
noone has answered my question about which part of Glengormley republicans were objecting to the march going through
‘Really? Have you never been caught behind the convoy of interminably slow buses going into Dublin from Tyrone’
Right, well only one thing for it, ban all sports gatherings, concerts, opera, theatre and indeed agriculture, its the traffic and congestion you see….(Jesus wept)
“The orange order carry enough paramilitary flags and emblems during parades, there’s no need to fly it from your hall.”
No we don’t. Now answer the question.
“Right, well only one thing for it, ban all sports gatherings, concerts, opera, theatre and indeed agriculture, its the traffic and congestion you see….(Jesus wept)”
Or alternatively , just stop gurning about “inconvenience” and put up with other people doing what they do, like I and thousands of other sensible people do- or you could join circles on the moral high ground and find amusement in people throwing piss over kids and OAPs.
Also note DC’s specious comparing major violence with a parade like Glengormley, where the event was twenty minutes of “inconvenience” because he daren’t answer the point.
I don’t the people protesting are doing so on the simple pretence that OO parades cause inconvenience. These people see them as inflaming sectarian tensions and triumphalism.
You and they can obviously disagree on that.
I would put forward though that you should have no problem whatsoever with Republicans wishing to parade through Ballymena, Larne and east Belfast.
You have stated this would not be traditional for them and would be coat-trailing.
The first OO parade wasn’t traditional, before that, upstanding Ulster Protestants were Irish Republicans. Hence, the first OO parade was merely a coat-trailing exercise and no amount of time can legitimise that it was coat-trailing. Or perhaps time has made it traditional?
If thats the case then you would allow the feckless Republicans a chance to cultivate themselves a culture, in parading say, (it looks fun but you won’t let them join in) and to do it wherever they like. You can’t really put a halt on people cultivating a culture that you think is entirely good and justified. Yes, when there are 3 or 4 republican parades a year in Larne and Portadown in predominantly Unionist areas, we’ll have that tolerance you preach.
So
Darth Rumsfeld: “Also note DC’s specious comparing major violence with a parade like Glengormley, where the event was twenty minutes of “inconvenience” because he daren’t answer the point. ”
And which one of us tried to invoke “the siege of Drumcree” as an inconvenience, although a larger one than GAA matches? I believe your quote was “Not quite on the scale of the “siege of Drumcree” perhaps, but its still inconvenience.” Now, did I snidely up the ante? Perhaps. But the person who juxtaposed violence with inconvenience was you, not I.
Darth:
“just stop gurning about “inconvenience” and put up with other people doing what they do”
I dont particularly like Gaelic football, so I dont attend any games, therefor it is not an “inconvenience” to me.
However various parading yahoos march up and down the public roads were I live, banging the crap out of drums and conveying an authoritarian message. When these events happen, its safer for my family and myself to leave for a few days, or stay and risk getting the crap kicked out of us. Any reasonable person would agree this is much more of an inconvenience.
mnob,
I suspect the idea of Orangemen parading anywhere near any entrance to Elmfield will be the next issue for the Concerned Residents Committees.
Their ultimate aim being of course to prevent the Orange Order parading down the Antrim Road, past the Colinbridge/Elmfield traffic lights as far as the ONeill Road, then down to the field (even though that is only one every 10 years).
The welcoming painting of ‘Fuck Off’ on the road 3 years ago there sort of gave the gameplan away.