polmac

Has this lodge and your good self developed a collective case of historical amnesia? Someone needs to school you on how the internet works, maybe bring this group along with ye also, a simple google throws up a multitude of information about this “law abiding” group. They are now lecturing everyone about mob rule, intimidation, disorder and respect for the law. Perhaps before climbing onto that particular moral high horse, they might revisit the history of their own parades through Rasharkin. 🤦‍♂️ Let’s all reflect on a few uncomfortable facts, shall we Jamie? Their parades have been at the centre of bitter disputes with nationalist residents for years. There have been documented concerns about their bands displaying loyalist paramilitary flags, breaches of Parades Commission restrictions and serious public order confrontations. In 2012, allegations about UDA and UVF flags at their parade were raised in the NI Assembly. In 2014, parade participants taunted nationalist residents with references to the murdered Quinn children. And in 2021, policing their parade involved 201 officers at a reported cost of more than £34,000. This is all online if you need to reference it 😜 Yet here they are, issuing letter headed documents, portraying themselves as innocent victims of a system that supposedly rewards intimidation and disorder. They complain that their members were questioned under caution over a 20-second stoppage. Since when did being questioned by the police become evidence that the rule of law had collapsed? Surely an organisation so committed to the law understands that nobody is automatically exempt from police scrutiny. And here’s the part I find particularly extraordinary. This group now threaten to reconsider their engagement with the PSNI and Parades Commission because they dislike what’s happened in Portadown. What happened to unwavering commitment to lawful processes. Apparently, respecting statutory institutions is a sacred principle right up until their decisions don’t suit you. You cannot demand sensitivity for your own community while dismissing the legitimate concerns of another as mob rule. And perhaps most importantly, nobody is eroding their identity by asking them to respect the people who live along a disputed route. Their culture doesn’t cease to exist because you cannot march wherever you please. Rasharkin makes this statement particularly difficult to take seriously. If this group is going to lecture the rest of us about disorder, intimidation, respect and the rule of law, at least have the decency to acknowledge the controversies surrounding their own parades. given their statement condemning intimidation and disorder, can you explain why parades they organised previously attracted allegations of UVF and UDA participation, including claims raised on the floor of Stormont? The biggest issue here Jamie, ita becoming more evident that the Orange Order can’t shake its connections with paramilitaries and the promotion of said paramilitaries Equality isn’t the erosion of unionist culture. It’s the end of the assumption that unionist culture must always take precedence over everybody else’s rights and as we have seen, your community is struggling that, big time