Sinn Féin Councillor Gerard O'Neill has expressed deep concern about next Saturday's march by the Upper Falls Protestant Boys Band in the Suffolk Estate.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News yesterday (Sunday), the Upper Falls councillor explained that members of Sinn Féin met with the Parades Commission last Thursday in a last ditch attempt to put the brakes on next month's march by the Upper Falls Protestant Boys Band.
The Blacks Road parade, scheduled to take place on June 4, caused chaos in the Suffolk Estate last year, as members of both UVF and UDA-affiliated bands were bussed into Blacks Road to take part.
But the Commission last week refused requests by Sinn Féin to disallow bands who have previously flouted Commission rules by displaying paramilitary flags and emblems.
Last year's parade, which lasted over four hours, ended in a street fight between two rival loyalist gangs.
Controversial band Ulster First Flute were also in attendance wearing paramilitary-style outfits which they changed after being told to remove them by the PSNI.
Another band had strapped a teddy bear wearing a balaclava and holding an automatic rifle to a large bass drum, again in breach of the Parades Commission ruling.
With 33 bands taking part, this year's march is predicted to be an even bigger event than last year, attracting even more supporters.
Cllr O'Neill said yesterday, "This is the third such march to be held in the Suffolk Estate in the past two years, even though the Parades Commission gave the green light for the first parade on the basis that it was a 'one-off'.
"We accept that the parade will go ahead, but we are extremely concerned that no action has been taken to prevent those who caused trouble last year from doing the same on Saturday.
"The Parades Commission has clearly stated that there should be no paramilitary trappings at the parade, but the fact that nothing happens to those who do sends out a very dangerous message that people can in reality do what they want," he added.
