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Date Posted: 15:00:19 07/13/04 Tue GMT
Author: Lynn
Subject: Peaceful start to N. Irish day of parades, protests (Washington Post)

washingtonpost.com

Peaceful Start to N.Irish Day of Parades, Protests
Reuters
Monday, July 12, 2004; 11:25 AM


By Alex Richardson

BELFAST (Reuters) - Thousands of Protestant "Orangemen" took to the streets of Northern Ireland on Monday as police appealed for calm on a tense day of parades and protests.

With hundreds of marches taking place as Protestants mark a centuries-old battlefield victory over Catholics, political leaders are hoping sectarian tensions do not spark violence which could harm the delicate peace process.

So far the summer "marching season" has been one of the most peaceful in recent memory, but Protestant anger at restrictions placed on a small parade in a flashpoint district of Belfast has raised the temperature in recent days.

Around 150 Catholic protesters chanted and held placards as Orangemen, bands and supporters passed the Ardoyne district in north Belfast on the outward leg of the disputed march on Monday morning, watched by police and British troops.

Fears remain about the possibility of clashes on the return leg later in the day.

With smoke still hanging over Protestant districts from bonfires lit at midnight to herald the high point of the Orange marching calendar, parades wound their way through Belfast to converge in a park on the southern outskirts.

Supporters cheered and waved British flags as the Orangemen, in their dark suits, bowler hats and orange sashes, marched with banners depicting their 17th century hero Prince William of Orange to the accompaniment of drum, flute and accordion bands.

PEACE TALKS DUE

The marching season is taking place against a backdrop of continuing political instability in Northern Ireland. Britain reimposed direct rule from London in 2002 after a power-sharing government set up under a 1998 peace deal collapsed.

Talks on reviving home rule will take place in September, and Orangemen at the main Belfast rally were told by a leading Protestant politician that success would depend on the willingness of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to disarm.

"We will not fall into the trap of sharing power with those linked to armed terror groups before they have completed the process of decommissioning (disarming)," Jeffrey Donaldson, of the hardline Democratic Unionist Party, told the crowd. "This time the IRA must jump first."

The parades celebrate the victory of William of Orange -- England's William III, or "King Billy" to Northern Ireland Protestants -- over deposed Catholic King James II at the Boyne on July 12, 1690.
© 2004 Reuters

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