Orangemen protest over rerouting decision

ORANGEMEN will gather on Ormeau Bridge in Belfast tomorrow to protest against the RUC decision to reroute their parade away from the nationalist lower Ormeau.

It is believed the protest will be peaceful as the organisers are anxious to avoid a violent confrontation with police.

Demonstrators were involved in a 16 hour stand off with the RUC on the bridge on Easter Monday after an Apprentice Boys parade was also rerouted. Police officers were stoned and petrol bombed.

The Orange Order is refusing to disclose its plans for tomorrow's protest. However, the RUC deputy chief constable, Mr Ronnie Flanagan, said he expected it to be peaceful and lawful.

The order's grand master, the Rev Martin Smyth, yesterday clarified comments he reportedly made earlier in the week that Orangemen were prepared to break the law if it was necessary to challenge RUC bans on marches.

Mr Smyth said he did not mean that violence should be used. He pointed out that Gandhi had used non violent methods to protest against the law.

If all democratic procedures had been exhausted, it might be necessary for Orangemen "in a non violent way to impress strong opposition on the legislators to have the laws changed", he added.

Meanwhile, nationalists last night staged a protest in Lurgan, Co Armagh, when Orangemen marched into the town centre. The Lurgan Nationalist Right to March Committee said the RUC had met unionist councillors and Orange Order officials to discuss the situation, but was refusing to meet the committee.

A spokesman accused the authorities of double standards in deciding who could march in Lurgan. "In the past, the RUC stopped a nationalist peace rally in the commercial town centre on, the pretext that it would disrupt trade.

"However, an Orange parade is allowed to take place on the busiest night of late night shopping," he said.

The chairman of the Police Authority, Mr Pat Armstrong, yesterday warned that policing controversial parades was taking vital resources away from crime detection.

He said £2 million was spent on policing parades last July alone, including the three day stand off between Orangemen and the RUC at Drumcree in Portadown, Co Armagh. These resources could have been used to tackle drug trafficking, car crime and burglaries.

"While the police are policing contentious parades or demonstrations, they are diverted from the fight against crime", he said.