BUSINESS SECTOR HOPES FOR RESTRAINT

AS Northern Ireland businesses brace themselves for another summer of discontent local businesses are left hoping against hope that any protests or civil unrest do not again spill over into the wider communities.

A decision expected on Friday by the Parades Commission on an Orange Order parade in Derry on July 12 could signal trouble for residents and businesses whatever way it falls. The protestant Orange Order has applied to march in the Diamond area of Derry’s city centre but nationalist Bogside residents group lodged an objection to the planned route.

Garvan O’Doherty, spokesman for Derry’s City Centre Initiative Group, said he hoped mediation attempts would succeed in ensuring that the July 12 parade and any opposition to it would not adversely affect local businesses.

Mr O’ Doherty said: “We have been involved in exploratory talks with the Orange Order for the past four weeks but we have entered too late into mediation for any progress to be made. The Orange Order have not engaged in satisfactory mediation tactics. This parade has the potential for negative publicity for Derry business groups and Northern Ireland does not deserve to be held at ransom like this.”

The City Centre Initiative Group have previously been involved in mediation between Protestants and Catholic groups in the city and recently achieved a notable success in avoiding protest at a Royal Black Preceptory parade in the city at the end of August.

Despite the Northern Ireland Parades Commission’s decision to bar Protestant Orangemen passing through the Catholic Garvaghy Road trouble is widely expected to erupt. On four previous occasions the loyal order has been barred from entering the area which led to subsequent violent clashes between police and loyalists.

On Thursday evening hundreds of loyalists carrying banners for proscribed paramilitary organisations descended upon Portadown to show their support for the Orange Order at Drumcree and their anger at the parades commission ruling prohibiting them from marching down Garvaghy Road.

The Chief Executive Frank Caddy of Northern Ireland’s Chamber of trade and Commerce said that he was hopeful that business would not suffer as badly as in previous years.

He said: “It is much quieter than last year. Belfast City Council has stayed open for business this week, so it’s really a case of so far so good.”

Compared with July last year when many businesses were forced to close due to trouble and violence on streets, he said that in one week Belfast lost trade totalling around £15 million: “July is traditionally a no-go area for tourists visiting Belfast and in the eyes of the world, but to date we are still receiving visitors to the province, although numbers have fallen slightly.”

(AMcE)