NORTH Belfast residents have decided to oppose an Orange march through their area next Friday by holding a counterdemonstration at the same time, writes Dick Grogan, Northern Editor.
The band parade is due to pass through Clifton Park Avenue, Cliftonville Road, the Antrim Road, and also Duncairn Gardens, the scene of recent sectarian attacks.
A spokesman for the Cliftonville and Antrim Road Concerned Residents said that the parade would result in the residents of all these nationalist, areas being "barricaded in".
The group said that, following a petition signed by over 2,000 residents, a public meeting was convened several weeks ago at which it was unanimously decided that the march would not be welcome.
A statement from the group said that attempts by representatives to negotiate with the Orange Order had been ignored.
"All that has been received is an unhelpful statement from Orange Order chaplain, Councillor Nelson McCausland, which displayed no understanding of the community's anxieties," it said.