Orangemen plan further protests after night of tension

Further Orange Order protests are expected throughout Northern Ireland today in response to a call by Portadown Orangemen for continued scaled-down versions of yesterday's widespread disruptions in support of their stance at Drumcree.

Following the official ending of the protests at 8 p.m. Mr David Jones, spokesman for the Portadown lodge, said they were "very pleased" with yesterday's turnout and, while there had been some incidents of violence, they were nowhere on the scale forecast by some.

The situation in Portadown last night was extremely tense. This followed a vigorous RUC baton charge on Orange Order supporters at the Corcrain loyalist estate.

A standoff was expected as Derrycarne Orange Lodge set out to reach Drumcree church on a route which would bring it to the Garvaghy Road end of the barricade at the bottom of Drumcree hill. And it was uncertain whether security personnel would allow visiting lodges to take the usual parade route to the church.

Mr Jones said the Corcrain baton charge was another indication that the RUC was operating "under zero tolerance instructions" and he criticised the police's "heavy-handed" actions at Drumcree on Sunday night.

He felt security personnel had been "quite rough" with a young man arrested for attempting to write on a fence at the barricade, and said he had seen on TV what appeared to be seven or eight officers beating one man with a baton. This he felt was "in excess of requirements".

Journalists were among those injured in the baton charge at the Corcrain estate. Mr David Modell of Channel 4 News said he and about five other journalists had been standing apart from protesters when the baton charge began at about 7 p.m.

He was filming people "being batoned on the ground" when a group of police came directly at the press group. "We identified ourselves as press but they came directly at us," Mr Modell said. He received a blow to the head and said if he had not been wearing a reinforced baseball cap "my skull would have been split open".

A local journalist, Mr Chris Anderson, had an index finger dislocated when he was hit on the hand with a baton. He said he saw an elderly lady being hit with a baton. It was, he said, "sheer brutality". He also saw known LVF members at the scene and said that following the baton charge the situation had become "extremely menacing".

The group protesting had been among about 200 supporters of the Portadown lodge who had gathered at the Carleton Street Orange hall yesterday afternoon. The town had been quiet since lunchtime when most businesses closed down.

A minor incident involving a small group of nationalists and about 120 Orange supporters in the town centre was defused by police and a bomb scare turned out to be a hoax.

Two Portadown lodge district officers, David Burrows and Nigel Dawson, briefed supporters on where protests were to take place and groups left Carleton Street each accompanied by a lodge officer. Some went to the Dungannon Road roundabout and sat on the road. They were dispersed by an RUC baton charge at about 6.30 p.m.

Other protests took place at Corcrain, the Edenderry roundabout and the Gilford Road area of the town. The Corcrain protest moved after about 15 minutes towards a junction with Charles Street not far from Catholic areas. The RUC blocked the road. Firecrackers were fired at police and the protesters were asked to sit down "by known loyalists", according to Mr Anderson.

Stones were thrown at the police and a tree was dragged across the road. It was cleared by soldiers. A standoff involving the protesters and security personnel ensued before the RUC charged.

Yesterday morning about 50 members of the Portadown lodge protested outside Windsor House in Belfast, headquarters of the Parades Commission. District Deputy Master Mr David Burrows said they were there "highlighting that our cause is just and right". Also there to protest were members of the Ballynafeigh lodge in Belfast which has run into problems over its parade on the Ormeau Road in the city.

Afterwards the Orangemen walked through Belfast's Great Victoria Street in zig-zag fashion, to disrupt traffic. On their way back to Portadown, lodge members drove cars two abreast at slow speed, causing a traffic tailback.