16/05/2013

Portadown Orange Parade 'Provocative' - SDLP

SDLP Upper Bann MLA Dolores Kelly has said that plans to start an Orange parade in Portadown near the Garvaghy Road will be seen by nationalists as 'provocative'.

Portadown District LOL No 1’s June 8 parade will now start from Wilson Street, close to the main access routes into the Garvaghy Road and Obins Street areas.

The SDLP Deputy Leader said: "The decision to change the starting-point, moving it very close to the so-called 'prayer meeting' which the Order are having in the supposedly shared space of the Portadown People’s Park, could be interpreted as a provocative act designed to re-ignite tensions and damage slowly improving community relations.

"Added to this, the decision by the Parades Commission, presumably in consultation with the PSNI, not to flag this as a contentious parade, could knock community confidence in these institutions – something that I am keen to avoid.

"I will be making strong representations to the Parades Commission to act responsibly with regard to this parade and ensure that due consideration is given to the nationalist community and all those who seek an improvement in cross-community relations in Portadown – a town that has already suffered more than enough."

(IT/MH)


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