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The all-party condemnation of attacks on Orange Halls during
an Assembly debate on September 11 is to be welcomed.
The Orange Order, which has been on the receiving end of
the hundreds of arson and missile attacks on its buildings
throughout the Province will be delighted if the support given
by Sinn Fein to the DUP resolution condemning the attacks
is translated into action by its supporters on the ground.
There never was any justification for the burning and damaging
of Orange Halls, which has caused such hurt among not only
Orangemen, but the Protestant population in general.
But the fact that Sinn Fein has added its voice to the condemnation
is encouraging, and hopefully will lead to an end to this
senseless but very damaging campaign.
Time will tell. Words are all very well, but the results
will be judged by what happens on the ground. Halls have been
destroyed or damaged in most counties of Northern Ireland,
and these are acknowledged to be sectarian.
But the harsh fact is that of 245 attacks on halls, in only
four cases have there been convictions of offenders. The PSNI
must step up its efforts to apprehend the arsonists and bring
them to the bar of justice.
An end to these attacks would go a long way to helping create
a new feeling of confidence among Protestants and Unionists
that things really are improving, and that people are committed
to a peaceful future.
It goes without saying that Orangemen and Unionists condemn
without equivocation any attacks on Roman Catholic places
of worship, or halls used by the people of that community
for sporting or entertainment purposes.
These attacks, irrespective of who carries them out, are
totally unjustifiable, cannot help any cause, and only heap
more misery on people who have been on the receiving end of
so much mayhem during the past 35 years.
There must be a better way, and the Orange Order, as always,
will play its part in trying to create a society in Northern
Ireland where all religions and traditions are equally respected.
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