Rasharkin Rerouting Reviewed

A contentious loyalist parade in Co Antrim at the weekend has been discussed with senior PSNI personnel.

The Sinn Féin MLA for North Antrim Daithí McKay was at the meeting on Monday on foot of the police's actions in sending the village parade down the shortest - return- route after a bomb alert had delayed the start by over three hours.

"We raised a number of very serious concerns with the PSNI regarding their policing operation in the village during last week's loyalist band parade," said the MLA.

He said that, amongst the issues raised was that the PSNI should "not be determining parade routes".

He commented that this was compounded by the fact that the parade itself took place after midnight and therefore on a new date without any determination.

"This is particularly significant," he insisted, noting that the PSNI acknowledged the fact that they had received numerous phone calls from residents in Rasharkin regarding the "intimidation" which took place.

"The policing operation also saw a number of young nationalists pushed back unnecessarily after the parade had passed yet no such action was taken against the loyalists who were allowed to gather at the bottom of the village," he fumed.

"The meeting was useful and gave us the opportunity to directly put our concerns to senior PSNI officers; we view this as the beginning in a series of meetings in order to ensure that there is no repeat of this kind of episode in the future."

Originally, the Ballymaconnelly Sons of Conquerors Flute Band was to parade through the village only once, and be permitted to make a return by another route.

However, because of the security alert and the disruption that followed, the bands were directed back the same way, rather than via a new route down Main Street in the village before returning by Moneyleck Road, Bann Road and Glebe Road to its originally assembly point as dictated by the NI Parades Commission.

The PSNI said at the time this was a sensible resolution to a difficult situation and was the quickest way of getting the parade over and the participants dispersed.

There was very minor trouble at a brief 'interface' as the bands marched past on their homeward route.

See: Rasharkin Return Rerouted