As a young police officer remains in a critical condition in hospital after he was struck by a loyalist blast bomb in Portadown two weeks ago, loyalists are planning another protest in the town this afternoon over the Drumcree issue.
A heavy police presence is expected in the town to try to prevent the violent scenes that occurred in the town on Saturday, September 5th, during which the RUC man was badly injured by the bomb.
The young father of three children, the youngest of whom is a 12-week-old baby, lost an eye in the attack, and according to police sources also suffered brain damage. He is still in a critical condition in the intensive care unit of a Belfast hospital.
While the extent of his injuries and the damage and disruption caused to the town by the continuing loyalist protests prompted several senior political and church calls for the Orange Order to end its Drumcree protest, loyalists are intent on staging a further demonstration in the town centre this afternoon.
Since the Drumcree standoff in July this year, loyalists have been staging nightly protests in Portadown, and the indications yesterday were that they now intend to step up their campaign of action in the next few weeks.
There is a growing dissatisfaction among rank-and-file Orangemen in Portadown, who believe the current strategy of simply maintaining a presence at Drumcree Church is proving ineffective and that the time is now right to "step the protests up a gear".
The Garvaghy Road Coalition spokesman, Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith, said that those organising the protest could be clearly seen to be deliberately increasing tension in Portadown.
"Despite condemning the protests, the Orange Order cannot distance themselves from this situation. Those engaged in these protests are determined to drive Catholics out of Portadown town centre.
"A resolution of this situation will only occur when all those involved sit down with each other to discuss all the issues concerning both communities in Portadown. We have already indicated our willingness to do so," Mr Mac Cionnaith added.
The Orange Order has tried to distance itself from the persistent loyalist protests, which have heightened sectarian tensions in Portadown, without going as far as calling off its largely token presence at Drumcree.
Politicians and church leaders have claimed that the protest is only adding to the highly incendiary situation in Portadown.
The RUC Chief Constable, Mr Ronnie Flanagan, was the latest to call for an end to the protest.
"I think the ongoing protest at Drumcree serves no real legitimate purpose. I think it should end," he told the Irish News.
He said no direct responsibility could be attributed to the Orange Order for some of the worst violence of the marching season, but added that those organising events had a duty to consider the possibility of consequent disturbances.
"If they predict that that is a likely outcome then I think they have a great responsibility not to give such people the remotest opportunity to engage in violence," said Mr Flanagan.
He pledged that the RUC would protect all the people of Portadown, and added that there was no evidence of orchestrated paramilitary involvement in the Portadown protests and violence.
Mr Flanagan said there was now a significantly reduced level of paramilitary activity, and there was no evidence of "tracking" or "dummy runs" by paramilitary groups.
But he added: "`All the paramilitary organisations that have been engaging in violence all down the years still exist, still remain intact, still have access to quantities of arms and explosives and so must be considered as posing a continuing threat to peace."
Mr Flanagan said the search for the Omagh bombers would continue with vigour. "We are pursuing a number of very definite lines of inquiry."
He said he could not categorically say that Northern Ireland had seen the last of such outrages, but he believed a turning point had been reached.
"There is something qualitatively different about the universal revulsion that has pulled together all shades of political views to a degree that I don't think we have witnessed with earlier atrocities," he said.
Mr Flanagan said he would find it "desperately difficult" if the IRA killers of the two community policemen, Roland Graham and David Johnston, shot dead in Lurgan in June 1997 were to be convicted and then released under the early release scheme.
"I have no doubt that the families of our murdered officers would find it much, much more difficult to deal with. That undoubtedly is a problem facing all victims of violence down through the years," he added.
