ireland, irish, ulster, belfast, northern ireland, british, loyalist, nationalist, republican, unionist

(Editorial, Irelandclick.com)

A report released this week by the Brehon Law Society and the Irish Parades Emergency Committee hits out at the PSNI handling of last year's July 12 parade that passed Ardoyne.

And although the report simply states what the dogs on the street already knew, it's hard to grasp why the Parades Commission doesn't stand up and be counted when it comes to this 'annual' march.

The report reiterates what was well documented last year – that a senior member of the UDA, William Borland, "marched past Ardoyne with the assistance of more than 1,000 police and soldiers in riot gear".

That, according to the report, was the second year in a row for the UDA man. The PSNI's continued heavy-handed tactics and threats last year by the Orange Order to block roads if restrictions were placed on the march do little for community relations.

This year it's time for the Parades Commission to make the right ruling and stick by it. And, as Fr Aidan Troy said last summer: "Why have a Parades Commission if you are going to overturn their decisions when unionists threaten violence?"

The people of Ardoyne deserve a summer free from this madness; maybe it's about time they got it.

This article appeared first on the Irelandclick.com web site on June 3, 2005.