DUP hypocrisy over right to march

The DUP have strongly opposed (subs needed) a planned dissident republican parade for a nationalist estate in Ballymena. Ian Paisley Jnr claimed the parade was “intended to provoke public disorder and tension around this protestant town.” For the record, Sinn Fein, the UUP and the SDLP are opposed to the parade as well. However, does this not expose the hypocrisy of those within political unionism arguing for the right to march ‘the queen’s highway’ as their excuse for supporting Loyal Order parades in contentious areas? Furthermore, following on from Paisley Jnr.’s assertion that Ballymena is a ‘protestant town’ and therefore presumably should not host republican parades, are we to assume that the DUP will in future oppose Loyal Order parades in ‘catholic towns’- like Derry or Newry???

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