Apprentice Boys, Marches passing off peacefully
RUC, Security tight but low-key in Derry
The annual Apprentice Boys parade in Derry has passed off without serious
incident. Although the main march passed off peacefully, there was been some trouble in the Diamond area of the city, where around 150 Nationalist protestors had gathered. The RUC say several bottles were thrown at the marchers. Earlier this week, Nationalists agreed not to take part in protests against the parade.
Security surrounding today's main parade, involving Apprentice Boys' clubs from across Northern Ireland, was said to be tight but low-key. More than 10,000 Apprentice Boys and 170 bands were involved in the march, which began around noon. Agreement on the route was reached earlier this week between the Order and residents of the Nationalist Bogside area. The Governor of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, Alastair Simpson, said that he was optimistic that a peaceful atmosphere would prevail throughout the day, and the parade would not be disrupted or affected by this morning's bomb scare on the railway line outside Derry.
Meanwhile, in Belfast, a controversial Apprentice Boys march also went ahead peacefully this morning. A small group of marchers walked to the Ormeau bridge, but in keeping with an earlier agreement, they did not protest at not being allowed to walk along the Nationalist Lower Ormeau Road.
Earlier this morning, a bomb alert caused the closure of the railway line between Coleraine and Derry, along which special trains had been due to take members of the Apprentice Boys to their annual parade in Derry. A security alert was declared after a number of phone calls were received early this morning, claiming there was a device on the track. Alternative transport has been arranged for people travelling to the city.
The bomb alert follows speculation that the so-called Real IRA was intending to attack today's Apprentice Boys' parade in Derry with the 500lbs of explosives recovered from a van in County Donegal yesterday. The van was pursued by the RUC as far as the border, after it crashed through a police checkpoint in Derry city centre. The driver of the vehicle escaped. The explosives, which were packed into two milk churns, were made safe by army specialists.
