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The Loyal Orders have met the Strategic Review of Parading
Body, chaired by Lord Ashdown.
The Loyal Orange Institution, Royal Black Institution and
the Independent Orange Order handed over a 50 page submission
at a meeting in Belfast.
A spokesman said:
“This is our initial submission and we look forward
to working with the Review Body in discussing and developing
the points we have made.
“In the submission we have explained some of the background
of the Loyal Institutions and how participation in processions
and parades is integral to our faith, culture and beliefs.
“It also draws attention to the demonisation of the
Loyal Institutions in some quarters and the attacks on Orange
Halls.
“We have emphasised the great tourism potential of parading
that remains to be exploited and shown how we are working
actively with the tourism authorities to promote our parades.
“More than 350,000 participants and spectators were
involved in the Twelfth of July in 2006. In terms of community
support for an annual festival, we believe the Twelfth attracts
the highest degree of support from the ethnic group it represents
of any festival in Europe.
“The tradition of public processions and parades is
inherent in the Protestant community, faith and culture and
there is no significant comparator in the Roman Catholic community
of Northern Ireland.
“In a Northern Ireland ‘at peace with itself’
the issues that are important to each of the main communities
should be fostered in their peaceful and proper expression.
“Participants in the Protestant community should be
free to manifest publicly and peacefully their faith and to
organise their traditional cultural processions and parades
just as the Roman Catholic community should be free to manifest
publicly and peacefully their faith and to organise their
traditional fleadghs and feises.
“So long as the expression of faith, ethnicity and culture
is peaceful, in neither community should it be required to
be diminished or muted at the behest of the other community.
Northern Ireland is now a more diverse and multi-cultural
society. Should other faiths and ethnic groups desire the
public and peaceful manifestation of their faith, ethnicity
and culture through processions or other public affirmation
that also must be accommodated and indeed fostered.”
The Loyal Orange Institution was represented by Grand Master,
Robert Saulters, Deputy Grand Master Edward Stevenson, Assistant
Grand Master Rev. Victor Ryan, Grand Secretary Drew Nelson
and Dr. David Hume, Director of Services for the Orange Order.
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