One of the most notable successes of the republican
movement has been its ability, through lies and distortion
to create the impression that they are in the right over certain
issues, even when all the evidence points to the contrary.
Drumcree is one of the most notable examples of this, and
as Northern Ireland ponders on what this summer will bring,
the papers are already full of articles advising Orangemen
of their responsibilities. There has been fierce and unfair
criticism of Portadown District Officers in some instances,
and many papers would appear to have adopted the anti-Orange
line, even though the facts show that it is republican bigotry
and intolerance which created the Drumcree situation.
The longer the Drumcree saga runs, the more outrageous and
indeed breath-taking is the extent of republican lies and
propaganda. Portadown District Master, Bro. Harold Gracey
and his officers did not create the scenario which led to
the impasse. That was the actions of Brendan McKenna and his
cohorts, yet it is so often Harold Gracey, David Burrows and
David Jones who are on the receiving end of criticism.
Harold Gracey, his officers and the rank-and-file Portadown
Orangemen never sought this dispute. Neither did the Orangemen
of Ballynafeigh, and people all to quickly forget that some
years ago the cat was let out of the bag by a media source
in the South of Ireland who reported a speech at Athboy in
which a prominent Sinn Fein person revealed that it had taken
three years to plan and bring about the Drumcree crisis.
Portadown Protestants are convinced that Drumcree was created
many years before that - from the start of ethnic cleansing
along Garvaghy Road in 1972. The brutal I.R.A. murder of young
Protestant Paul Beattie was followed steadily by the expulsion
and intimidation of hundreds of Protestant families from Churchill
Park, Garvaghy Park and Ballyoran Park.
That gradually created a Roman Catholic majority in what
had hitherto been a predominately Protestant area. In the
past decade the process was almost completed when many Protestant
families were expelled from lower Garvaghy Road and Woodside.
This created a nationalist ghetto and the conditions in which
political agitators could claim that a traditional Orange
church parade dating back to 1806 constituted provocation.
The creation of the Parades Commission and the transformation
of the situation whereby the troublemakers became the 'good
guys' and the peaceful Orangemen the 'baddies' had added to
an unreal situation.
It has to be admitted that a legitimate Orange case and the
dignified protest of Portadown District L.O.L. No.1 has not
been helped by the increasing tendency of paramilitary organisations
and unruly elements to attach themselves to the protest. This
detracts from the peaceful and disciplined protest, and enables
the many enemies of Orangeism to make use of this for propaganda
purposes.
The Orange Order is primarily a Christian organisation and
it cannot afford to get involved with people who would use
it as a cover to attack the police and security forces - a
fact which must be underlined this summer.
But that does not mean Orangemen should surrender their legitimate
right to go peacefully to church and then walk the few miles
back to the dispersal point without giving offense to anyone.
All the evidence points to the fact that Orangemen will not
be permitted to do this if McKenna and his residents' coalition
have their way. The ante is continually being raised, and
in a recent newspaper interview McKenna provocatively outlined
the conditions under which a march "could be considered".
No guarantee here of a parade taking place even if Orangemen
comply with his demands.
That puts the Orange Order in a near impossible position,
but one still has to hope that common sense will prevail and
that those in authority in this country will finally support
the law-abiding majority and not reward the trouble makers
who have caused mayhem on the streets of Garvaghy Road and
its hinterland for years.
If that doesn't happen, then the only inference that can
be drawn is that Government would rather face down decent,
loyal and respectable citizens than deal firmly with the disloyal
and violent elements who have caused so much trouble in this
Province generally, and Portadown in particular since this
dispute began.
|
