Anti-internment parade is ‘recipe for disaster’
Tonight’s republican parade through Belfast is “a recipe for disaster”, according to Nelson McCausland.
The North Belfast MLA was speaking after a DUP delegation met police chiefs ahead of an anti-internment march in the city.
Up to 600 loyalists have been granted permission for several counter-protests close to CastleCourt in Royal Avenue – objecting to the republicans passing the scene of an IRA double murder.
In February 1988 two UDR soldiers were killed by a bomb hidden behind hoardings while the shopping centre was under construction.
The anti-internment parade is due to move from Ardoyne Avenue towards the Oldpark Road and the New Lodge, then make its way into the city along North Queen Street and Donegall Avenue.
Mr McCausland is calling for the Chief Constable and Secretary of State to use their legal powers to ban the event.
“Those legal powers were placed there for good reason and we believe were placed there for circumstances such as this.
“The Secretary of State has said that the Castlederg march does not meet the legal tests to use her powers. We believe the event in Belfast meets each and every one of them,” he said.
A commemorative parade to the CastleCourt site, honouring Privates James Cummings and Fred Starrett, is held each year by an Orange lodge made up of former UDR members.
After passing CastleCourt, tonight’s anti-internment parade – notified to the Parades Commission as involving up to 5,000 people and five bands – will turn right into Castle Street, eventually making its way to the Falls Road.
It is due to finish in the Andersonstown area around 9pm.
According to the parade organisers, the Anti Internment League, its purpose is to “demonstrate against the continued use of internment by the British Government against Irish citizens”.
The DUP representative said the organisers were seeking “sectarian confrontation” and urged those protesting against it to “show their disgust at the dissident march in a dignified manner”.
Mr McCausland added: “We reiterate again the message that if Matt Baggott and Theresa Villiers abdicate their responsibilities and the parade goes ahead, protests against this dissident republican event must remain peaceful at all times.
“No unionist or loyalist should stoop to the level of dissident republicans.”
His party colleague Councillor Christopher Stalford had previously appealed to the republican parade organisers not to “flaunt their hatred” on the city’s streets.
He said: “The 32 County Sovereignty Movement and the Republican Network for Unity are political mouthpieces for the organisations that murdered [Constable] Stephen Carroll and prison officer David Black.
“People throughout the community united to condemn those savage murders and it is entirely unacceptable that those who justify such wicked murders would seek to flaunt their hatred through the centre of Belfast.”
Six separate counter-demonstrations have been subjected to Parades Commission restrictions, with four groups permitted no more than 75 protestors in each.
Two of the protests have been notified by residents groups while others involve No 2 District of the Orange Order, Protestant Coalition and United Protestant Voice.
CastleCourt shopping centre is to close 30 minutes early this evening at 5.30pm.
A total of 34 people had died in the violence since the beginning of the year when internment was introduced by the government on August 9, 1971.
