This morning our thanks must go out to the residents of the Springfield Road who, after extreme provocation from some of the bands who took part in Saturday’s Orange parade, made sure the day was trouble-free.
Once again the Orange Order were unable to steward their own parade and failed to comply with the Parades Commission’s own guidelines for Saturday’s annual coat-trailing exercise. Paramilitary flags and uniforms were once more to the fore, while nationalist representatives are claiming that some bands played music when they crossed Workman Avenue, which was a breach of the Commission’s guidelines for the parade.
When you take into account that the Springfield residents produced their own five-point plan in an attempt to avert trouble and made themselves constantly available to enter discussions with the Orange Order, the decision to allow the parade to go ahead was another slap in the face for this community. Yet even though the community went out of its way to make sure that the day passed peacefully, many of those who took part in the parade showed that all they are interested in is sectarian triumphalism and confrontation. Following the trouble that erupted at last year’s march on the Springfield Road, nationalist residents went out of their way to ensure that no trouble flared up this year, and held their own dignified protest, which was in sharp contrast to the Orange Order. With the marching season entering a critical period, nationalists have shown that they are serious about preventing trouble. Can the loyal orders say the same?
