No parade review
‘No review’ of contested parade
The Parades Commission has said it can not review its ruling which restricted a controversial parade in west Belfast.
The North and West Belfast Parades Forum had criticised its decision to reroute the Whiterock parade.
The Orange Order wanted to go through Workman Avenue, off the mainly nationalist Springfield Road, instead of going through a former factory site.
However, the commission said it had received no new information which was needed to review the original ruling.
Last week, the commission heard evidence from the North and West Belfast Parades Forum, the Springfield Road Residents Action Group, the PSNI and local politicians.
It said in a statement on Wednesday: “No new information has been provided to the commission as part of the review request and the commission is therefore not in a position to review the decision.”
The commission said its ruling last week was a “genuine attempt to manage the many difficult and emotive issues” surrounding this year’s Whiterock parade.
It said it wanted to “accommodate the concerns of the parade organisers and residents”.
Talks process
It added it acknowledged and welcomed the dialogue which had taken place between the resident’s group and the Parades Forum.
“It is our hope that in future a local accommodation can be reached on the Whiterock parade. However, at this point there is no such agreement,” it said.
“We would urge all sides to approach Saturday’s parade in a calm and responsible way in order to ensure that the parade passes of peacefully.”
Last year, at the eleventh hour the Parades Commission reversed its original decision and allowed Orangemen to walk part of the route, with a number of conditions
It was the second time this week the Belfast forum has been used in an effort to reach an accommodation.
Review
Earlier, secretary of the North and West Belfast Parades Forum John McVicar said the Parades Commission’s decision should be reviewed.
The forum represents a wide range of unionist-loyalist-Orange opinion.
“We would be hopeful that the Parades Commission would see sense,” Mr McVicar said.
He said that together with what he called “cowardly attacks” on families and followers at the Tour of the North parade in north Belfast’s Ardoyne area last Friday, “this ludicrous determination has the potential to have far-reaching implications right across the province”.
Meanwhile, talks are to be held over an Orange march in Londonderry.
Talks are to be held over the main 12 July commemoration which is being held in the city.
Representatives of the Protestant Orange Order and the nationalist Bogside Residents’ Group are expected to meet business leaders, community workers and clergy.
The Parades Commission was set up in 1997 to make decisions on whether controversial parades should be restricted.
