Diary of the 'Troubles'
Created | Updated Jun 21, 2003
The sorry saga of the Orange Day Parades in Northern Ireland continues, with our reporter bringing you a day by day account of the developments
Sunday 9 July
Yet again the Royal Ulster Constabulary with the assistance of the Army had erected a barricade to uphold the parades commissions decision not to allow the Portadown Orange Order to march down the Garvaghy Road and into the town. However, for the first time in the two years of protest, no senior police was on hand this Sunday to take the traditional letter of protest.
What resulted was a tirade of abuse getting flung at everybody and anybody even if they had nothing directly to do with the decision, and worst of all was the mudslinging of the three main Christian denominations, just before asking the Orange Men to observe the Sabbath.
Monday 10 July
The Loyalist communities managed to organise themselves so as the whole of Northern Ireland was unable to operate normally between 4 and 8 in the evening. All the main roads were blocked and Belfast as well as other towns were absolutely deserted. Cars were set alight as roadblocks, and people were unable to move even the shortest distances in towns across the Province.
Tuesday 11 July
The traditional 11th night bonfires got started with some additional features. In Portadown a figure of a Police Officer was added to the top along with the Irish Tricolour, which featured at other sites. At the Short Strand and Shankhill in Belfast, as well as Newtownabbey and Kilcooley armed loyalist Paramilitaries fired their weapons. So much for the loyalist demand for decommissioning. However at Larne a man was shot dead, at Coleraine and Ahoghill two others died of knife and beating wounds. Life was far from quiet and the tension was mounting.
Wednesday 12 July
The big day of the marching season passed off peacefully, although the Belfast parade for the second year running congregated in Ormeau Park just across the river from a Nationalist estate rather than it's traditional location. The speeches made showed that not all Orange Men felt the same, some came out in support of Drumcree and all the protests, others condemned what had gone on. From the top there was a cry for peace.
The Rest of the Week
On Friday there was supposed to be another protest and stoppage of normal life. Robert Saulters, the Grand Master over all the Orange Lodges had, however, pleaded for peace again and all the violence has died down. The politicians from Westminster are yet again calling for the marchers to sit down and negotiate with the residents, the local political leaders have been noticeable by their silence by in large this week. However, now that devolved government has come to Northern Ireland, maybe the time has come for the local politicians to start to stand for all the people they have to represent. The people, by in large, don't want to go through this again every July; they want normality if ever it will come.
