Clashes mar end of N. Irish parade day (Washington Post) -- Irish Media Watch Message Board

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Date Posted: 14:57:48 07/13/04 Tue GMT
Author: Lynn
Subject: Clashes mar end of N. Irish parade day (Washington Post)

washingtonpost.com

Clashes Mar End of Northern Irish Parade Day
Reuters
Monday, July 12, 2004; 5:26 PM

By Alex Richardson

BELFAST (Reuters) - Hundreds of Protestants and Catholics pelted each other with stones and bottles as the biggest day in Northern Ireland's contentious annual marching season ended in violence on Monday.

The clashes broke out in the Ardoyne district of north Belfast as Protestant "Orangemen" marched through the area in celebration of a famous battlefield victory over Catholics more than 300 years ago.

Hundreds of bystanders from both sides of Northern Ireland's sectarian divide threw missiles at each other over the top of the parade and over the huge blockade of police and army vehicles and armored cars set up to keep them apart.

Catholic protesters then fought sporadic running battles with police, who responded briefly with water cannon.

It was unclear if anyone was injured in the clashes, which lasted around an hour and contrasted sharply with the hundreds of largely peaceful parades which took place elsewhere in the British province.

"It was very clear this was an unprovoked attack, bottles stones and bricks flying over people's heads into the crowd," said Nigel Dodds, an Orangeman and member of parliament from the hardline Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

"People could have been killed."

"DRUNKEN LOUTS"

Sinn Fein, the hardline Irish republican party, blamed the police and Protestant Loyalists for the skirmishes.

"You can't blame this crowd," senior Sinn Fein member Gerry Kelly said. "This crowd was attacked by Loyalists, by whoever was on the other side of the barrier.

"The whole machine was set up to force an anti-Catholic parade -- and, frankly, drunken louts -- through this area."

The Ardoyne area had always promised to be the flashpoint of this year's Orange marches, which celebrate the Protestant victory at the Battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690 -- a victory which changed the course of Irish history.

Protestants were angry that authorities had restricted the number of people who could march the route while Catholics, who view the yearly parades as triumphalist and provocative, said the Ardoyne march should be banned altogether.

Elsewhere, the parades passed smoothly.

Thousands of supporters cheered and waved British flags as the Orangemen, in traditional dark suits, bowler hats and orange sashes, marched with banners to the accompaniment of drum, flute and accordion bands.

The banners depicted Protestant hero Prince William of Orange, or "King Billy," the victor of the Boyne.

As evening fell, the parades disbanded and Protestant revellers dispersed under the watchful eye of police.

Despite Monday's violence, this year's summer "marching season" has been one of the most peaceful in recent memory, raising hopes that politicians might be able to put the province's fragile peace process back on track when they meet for high-level talks in September.

Those talks will be aimed at reviving home rule in Northern Ireland, suspended since late 2002 when the province's power-sharing government collapsed.
© 2004 Reuters

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