People Before Profit MLA, Gerry Carroll, has called out the hypocrisy of Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politicians demanding legal action against opponents attempting to stop a sectarian march in the north of Ireland.
DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, accused Sinn Féin First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, of a “clear breach of the law” for standing with residents in the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road area. They are attempting to stop the loyalists of the Orange Order from staging a triumphalist march along the road.
The Parades Commission, which adjudicates on whether marches and protests can proceed, granted the right for 35 Orangemen to march the route. The last time the sectarian Order marched the route was in July 1997. The DUP claims anyone preventing the procession is in breach of the law.
DUP MP stood with masked thugs at recent protest
In response, Carroll said the DUP is:
A party up to its eyeballs in scandals that reaches for sectarianism every single time to distract and divide.
And now they’re calling for elected representatives’ heads for having the audacity to show solidarity with residents under siege by toxic Orange triumphalism.
And for those not paying attention, a little reminder, MP Carla Lockhart stood alongside masked men hurling abuse at a peaceful march for Gaza at Scarva. Men who threw rocks and insults at journalists.
At the time, the Canary described the contrast between Lockhart and the bigoted thugs she stood alongside, versus the peaceful pro-Palestine contingent:
On one side, those waving the Zionist entity’s flag, hate-filled and throwing disgusting abuse, shoulder to shoulder with politicians that allow the slaughter in Gaza to continue. On the other, an entirely peaceful humanitarian procession, doing what little they can to support those enduring some of the worst crimes in human history.
The same politicians that stand with a genocidal settler-colony abroad are keen to fan the embers of residual settler-colonial tendencies in the north of Ireland. The attempt to march down the Garvaghy Road is a feeble attempt by loyalists to pursue a triumphalism over Catholics they no longer have the capacity to achieve.
They have largely switched this domineering approach over to hatred of Muslims, migrants and people of colour. Carroll pointed out DUP Education Minister Paul Givan’s emulation of Lockhart during a recent wave of loyalist ethnic cleansing, suggesting he too broke the law.
He said:
Paul Givan here attended an anti-immigration protest in Lisburn the day after a brutal stabbing, pouring petrol on the flames of racist hate. Was there a determination for that march? I suspect not.
A renowned justice campaign group has suggested those blocking the Garvaghy Road may not even be in breach of the law. Director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), Daniel Holder told the Irish News that the European Court:
…has held that in certain circumstances rights to hold spontaneous protests in immediate response to events where the protest would be pointless if delayed may override notification requirements.
Garvaghy residents re-traumatised by pointless march
Residents have questioned why the Parades Commission ever granted permission for the Orange Order march to begin with, following almost 30 years of refusals to grant the provocative walk.
They have suggested Jon Boutcher, Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable, may have “misled” the Commission. The PSNI foolishly submitted that a small-scale march would be manageable, and seemingly didn’t factor in the bitter memories of previous stand-offs at Drumcree, the area Garvaghy Road sits within.
During the 1990s in particular, significant unrest and violence took place at Drumcree. It culminated in one of the worst atrocities of the north of Ireland’s 30-year conflict, when loyalists murdered three boys in July 1998.
The killing showed both the horror and absurdity of sectarian violence. The children were born to a Catholic mother and lived on a Protestant estate, though she and her Protestant partner raised the boys as Protestants.
The Parades Commission’s reckless decision has re-traumatised residents, including Marie Therese Murray whose 12-year-old son was killed by a car in 1996 after being chased by Protestant boys.
The Canaryspoke to those helping the protest at Garvaghy, who described their fear at gangs of masked loyalists gathering nearby. Their concern is that the mob may attack at any moment in a bid to clear the road.
The stand-off could continue for days as talks with Northern Ireland secretary Chris Bryant drag on.
The DUP has been hinting at further destabilising the never-stable Stormont as a means to get its way. This is not surprising, given wrecking and riling up bigotry is all the inept and scandal-riven party has to offer.
Featured image via Irish News
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