The Parades Commission has issued a number of rulings about marches in the North next Saturday, most of them involving members of the Royal Black Preceptory. Their annual parade at the end of August marks the end of the marching season. A feeder parade by the loyal order will not be allowed along the mainly nationalist Lower Ormeau Road in Belfast.
Members of the Lower Ormeau Concerned Community who had applied for permission to hold a counter-demonstration have been restricted to three hours, from 6.00am to 9.00am. A similar parade by the loyal order tomorrow afternoon has also been prohibited from crossing the Ormeau Bridge on its way to a church service in Belfast city centre. The Commission said there had been no engagement between either of the parties to explore the problems associated with parades in the area or any attempt to reach agreement.
Route conditions have also been imposed on the RBP marches in other mainly nationalist areas next weekend, such as Castlewellan, Keady, Newry, Pomeroy, Armagh, Bellaghy, Dunloy, Strabane, and part of Greencastle. However no conditions have been imposed on the parade in Castlederg, County Tyrone. An application by Orangemen in Portadown to march down the Garvahy Road on Sunday week has again been refused. Conditions have also been imposed concerning a loyalist flute band parade in Newry on Friday night.
