Parades Commission Statement on Tour of the North related parades
10 June 2010
Parades Commission Statement
Statement on the ‘Tour of the North’ related parades at Ardoyne
The Parades Commission has restricted parades by the Earl of Erne LOL 647 and the Ligoniel True Blues from passing the contentious part of the Crumlin Road at Ardoyne on Friday 18th June. The lodges had notified their intention to parade the route as part of the ‘Tour of the North’ parade that evening.
Commission Chair Rena Shepherd said,
“Where there is no agreement on a parade the Commission is forced to intervene. In those circumstances it is inevitable that some people will be unhappy at the outcome, but this determination represents our best efforts to balance the rights of the residents of Ardoyne and those who wish to parade.
“We met with political and community representatives from both sides as well as the police. It is very clear to the Commission that there are genuinely held views on both sides when it comes to parades past this contentious area. There is also a willingness on all sides to enter a dialogue process and we would encourage all involved to work towards a negotiated and agreed outcome on future parades in north Belfast.”
In its determination the Commission stressed that this decision is in relation to this parade only and “should not be interpreted as a precedent for any parades in this locality in the future.”
The full determination can be found at, http://www.paradescommission.org/parades/?parade=30778
Ends
For further information, contact:
Brendan Mulgrew
02890 339949 / 07767 393252