Sinn Fein Cllr Charlie Mc Hugh has given a broad welcome to a Parades
Commission decision to re-route Orange Order/Loyalist Band marchers away
from predominantly nationalist areas of Castlederg on the 11th Night and on
the evening of the 12th July .
Cllr Mc Hugh said,
The decision to re-route a parade by the Castlederg Young Loyalist Flute
Band away from predominantly nationalist areas of the town on the 11th night
and another larger parade by Killen LOL District on the evening of the 12th
July is to be welcomed.
In meetings with the Parades Commission, local community and Sinn Fein
elected representatives have continually outlined our opposition to such
parades which are seen as little more than coat trailing exercises by our
community.
Inherent in the Parades Commission decision is, I hope, a belated
acknowledgement that there is no valid reason for Loyal Order/Loyalist bands
to be parading through predominantly nationalist areas of Castlederg other
than to antagonise and to heighten community tensions.
While I welcome the Parades Commissions determinations in regards to the
return routes of the Orange Order/Loyalist Band parades on the evening of
the 11th and 12th July, I cannot understand the logic of permitting the
Castlederg Young Loyalist Flute Band to accompany Bridgetown LOL 379 through
the Ferguson Crescent/KilleterRoad/Priests Lane area on the morning of the
12th July given that the Commission agreed to the logic of keeping this same
band out of area on the night before