Apprentice Boys' Dunloy protest ends in violence

THERE were violent clashes in Dunloy, Co Antrim, late last night as police attempted to disperse about 100 Apprentice Boys who had been prevented earlier from marching through the mainly Catholic village.

Stones and bottles were thrown at the police as they pushed the protestors back to the original standoff point. A number of people suffered minor injuries during the clashes.

Earlier yesterday evening more than 200 Apprentice Boys staged a protest outside Dunloy after they were prevented from parading to the Orange hall in the predominantly nationalist village.

Police lines had kept about 200 nationalists opposed to the parade and as many Apprentice Boys well apart during the standoff. The Apprentice Boys were held behind RUC Land Rovers about a mile outside the village while nationalists gathered in the village to block any parade.

There were brief scuffles involving nationalists and police when LandRovers were moved in an apparent attempt to block nationalists from protesting outside the Orange hall. One man was arrested.

The Rev Ian Paisley and Mr John Finlay, head of the Dunloy branch of the Apprentice Boys, claimed that the RUC Chief Constable, Mr Ronnie Flanagan, broke an agreement that the members could parade to the Orange hall, which is just inside the village perimeter, but could not march to the Presbyterian church near the centre.

A spokesman for the Dunloy Residents and Parents Association said they were willing to allow the Apprentice Boys to assemble and hold their service in the hall, but they would not countenance a parade.

Mr Sean Farren, the SDLP constituency representative for North Antrim, appealed to the Apprentice Boys to avail of mediation machinery to try to resolve the dispute.