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Drumcree Parade Passes Off In Peace
The annual Drumcree Parade has passed off peacefully today, amid what the BBC called 'low-key' security. As I mentioned in my Friday post, this is now the third year in a row the Drumcree Parade has passed off without any major incident.
Hundreds of Orangemen and women made the short walk from Drumcree church down to the security barrier to make a verbal protest at the Parade's Commission ruling that the Orange march could not proceed along the Garvaghy Road.
There were many less police officers this year than in previous years, all dressed in standard uniform although water-cannon were on standby and police Land Rovers were parked at potential flashpoints, like the top of the Garvaghy Road.
After a short religious service, District Master David Burrows addressed the Orange lodges assembled and criticised the Parade's Commission ruling. He also said that the protest would go on until Orangement were allowed to follow their traditional homeward route, as the Parade's Commission have barred them from doing since 1998.
It's unfortunate the media only see fit to cover this story in any meaningful way when there has been a violent outcome. Whenever there's a peaceful resolution nobody's interested in the fact that a once-a-year parade is being held to ransome by some self-appointed spokesperson for residents, who lives half a mile away and doesn't want Protestants to exist in Northern Ireland, let alone pop their head above the parapet.
Nevertheless, I'm glad to hear that this year's parade passed off without incident. Hopefully it will bode well for future applications and the Parade's Commission may once more allow the Orangement to walk peacefully down the Garvaghy Road.