most of your changes are fine, but I re-added some content as I see no reason to remove it - we can discuss it on the talkpage if you like |
SonofSetanta (talk | contribs) Replacing all instances of the police being referred to as RUC. It's not necessary, they are the police. |
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[[File:Annalong Orange arch, July 2010 (05).JPG|thumb|300px|An "Orange Arch" in [[Annalong]]. Similar arches are erected in Portadown each summer, including one at the end of the mainly-nationalist/Catholic Garvaghy Road.<ref>[http://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/news/Anger-as-arch-on-Garvaghy.5467110.jp "Anger as arch on Garvaghy Road is painted"]. ''[[Portadown Times]]'' (17 July 2009)</ref>]] |
[[File:Annalong Orange arch, July 2010 (05).JPG|thumb|300px|An "Orange Arch" in [[Annalong]]. Similar arches are erected in Portadown each summer, including one at the end of the mainly-nationalist/Catholic Garvaghy Road.<ref>[http://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/news/Anger-as-arch-on-Garvaghy.5467110.jp "Anger as arch on Garvaghy Road is painted"]. ''[[Portadown Times]]'' (17 July 2009)</ref>]] |
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Portadown has long been a mainly Protestant, [[Unionism in Ireland|unionist]] and [[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] town.<!--election results consistently show this, and the phrase includes unionists/loyalists who aren't practising Protestants--> At the height of the conflict in the 1990s, about 70% of the population were from a Protestant background and 30% from a Catholic background. The town's Catholic and Irish nationalist community claim that they have long suffered discrimination, especially in employment.<ref name="Mulholland">Mulholland, Peter. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/26415872/Drumcree-a-Struggle-for-Recognition "Drumcree: A Struggle for Recognition"]. ''Irish Journal of Sociology, Vol. 9''. 1999.</ref> Each summer the town centre is bedecked with [[Northern Ireland flags issue|loyalist flags]] and symbols.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6720063.stm |title=Portadown edging towards change |author=BBC |date=6 June 2007 |accessdate=22 May 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> This is to coincide with the "marching season", when numerous Protestant/loyalist<!--some marches are purely religious, others aren’t--> marches take place in the town. Throughout the 20th century, the police force ([[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] |
Portadown has long been a mainly Protestant, [[Unionism in Ireland|unionist]] and [[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] town.<!--election results consistently show this, and the phrase includes unionists/loyalists who aren't practising Protestants--> At the height of the conflict in the 1990s, about 70% of the population were from a Protestant background and 30% from a Catholic background. The town's Catholic and Irish nationalist community claim that they have long suffered discrimination, especially in employment.<ref name="Mulholland">Mulholland, Peter. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/26415872/Drumcree-a-Struggle-for-Recognition "Drumcree: A Struggle for Recognition"]. ''Irish Journal of Sociology, Vol. 9''. 1999.</ref> Each summer the town centre is bedecked with [[Northern Ireland flags issue|loyalist flags]] and symbols.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6720063.stm |title=Portadown edging towards change |author=BBC |date=6 June 2007 |accessdate=22 May 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> This is to coincide with the "marching season", when numerous Protestant/loyalist<!--some marches are purely religious, others aren’t--> marches take place in the town. Throughout the 20th century, the police force ([[Royal Ulster Constabulary]](RUC) was also almost wholly Protestant.<ref name="Mulholland"/> |
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===Before partition=== |
===Before partition=== |
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In 1972, during the first years of the Troubles, residents of Portadown's mainly Catholic enclave mobilized under the banner of 'Portadown Resistance Council'. They called for the marches to be re-routed away from Obins Street ([[Drumcree conflict#Map|see map]]), which was where most of the residents lived at the time.<ref name="Kaufmann 154">Kaufmann, Eric P. ''The Orange Order: a contemporary Northern Irish history''. Oxford University Press, 2007. p 154.</ref> The [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) warned that it would "take action" if the Orange Order marched along Obins Street on [[The Twelfth|12 July]].<ref name="Kaufmann 154"/> The [[Ulster Defence Association]] (a then-legal loyalist vigilante and paramilitary group) threatened to take counter-action if anything was done to stop the march.<ref name="Kaufmann 154"/><ref>''Belfast Telegraph'', 11 July 1972, p.1.</ref> On Saturday 1 July, Catholics set up barricades at all roads leading into their area.<ref name="Mulholland 2">Mulholland, Peter. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/26105917/Two-Hundred-Years-in-the-Citadel ''Two-Hundred Years in the Citadel'']. 2010.</ref> |
In 1972, during the first years of the Troubles, residents of Portadown's mainly Catholic enclave mobilized under the banner of 'Portadown Resistance Council'. They called for the marches to be re-routed away from Obins Street ([[Drumcree conflict#Map|see map]]), which was where most of the residents lived at the time.<ref name="Kaufmann 154">Kaufmann, Eric P. ''The Orange Order: a contemporary Northern Irish history''. Oxford University Press, 2007. p 154.</ref> The [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) warned that it would "take action" if the Orange Order marched along Obins Street on [[The Twelfth|12 July]].<ref name="Kaufmann 154"/> The [[Ulster Defence Association]] (a then-legal loyalist vigilante and paramilitary group) threatened to take counter-action if anything was done to stop the march.<ref name="Kaufmann 154"/><ref>''Belfast Telegraph'', 11 July 1972, p.1.</ref> On Saturday 1 July, Catholics set up barricades at all roads leading into their area.<ref name="Mulholland 2">Mulholland, Peter. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/26105917/Two-Hundred-Years-in-the-Citadel ''Two-Hundred Years in the Citadel'']. 2010.</ref> |
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On the morning of the march, Sunday 9 July, British troops and |
On the morning of the march, Sunday 9 July, British troops and the police moved in to clear the area. They bulldozed the barricades and used [[CS gas]] and [[rubber bullet]]s on those protesting against the march.<ref name="Political Rituals 3"/><ref name="Mulholland 2"/> Once the area was secured, they allowed the Orangemen to march along the road which was lined by at least fifty UDA masked and uniformed members.<ref name="Political Rituals 3"/><ref name="Kaufmann 154"/><ref>''Belfast Telegraph'', 12 July 1972, p.4.</ref><ref>Bryan, Dominic. ''Orange parades: the politics of ritual, tradition, and control''. Pluto Press, 2000. Page 92.</ref> The UDA men then made their way to Drumcree and escorted the Orangemen back into town along Garvaghy Road.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> With troops and police out in force, the march passed peacefully. However, three men were shot dead in Portadown later that day and overnight. A UDA member shot dead two civilians inside McCabe's Bar on High Street. One was the Catholic pub-owner Jack McCabe and the other a Protestant customer, William Cochrane. Both men were shot in the head from close range. The gunman was a former police officer. When sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders, there were shouts of "keep up the fight!" from about a dozen people in the court's public gallery.<ref>McKittrick, David. ''Lost Lives''. Mainstream, 1999. p.219</ref> Republican gunmen are believed to have shot dead a Protestant (Paul Beattie) in the early hours of the next morning in Churchill Park, a housing estate on Garvaghy Road.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1972.html |title=Malcolm Sutton, ''An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland'' - 1972 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> On 12 July, under tight security, the Orangemen again marched along Obins Street, this time from Corcrain Orange Hall to the town centre.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> On 15 July, a Catholic civilian was kidnapped, beaten and shot dead by the UDA in a Protestant area of the town. His body was found on 4 August in a drain near Watson Street. He had been a long-time member of St Patrick's Accordion Band based on Obins Street.<ref>McKittrick, p.225</ref> |
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Later in the month, the Provisional IRA detonated a bomb on Woodhouse Street, and loyalists detonated a bomb at a Catholic church.<ref name="Political Rituals 3"/> In the Obins Street area there was also a gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, the UDA, and the security forces.<!--this is exactly what the source says--><ref name="Political Rituals 3"/> The UDA’s involvement in the 1972 parades made a lasting impression on Portadown's Catholics and Irish nationalists.<ref>Mervyn Jess. ''The Orange Order''. Dublin, 2007. p.101</ref> |
Later in the month, the Provisional IRA detonated a bomb on Woodhouse Street, and loyalists detonated a bomb at a Catholic church.<ref name="Political Rituals 3"/> In the Obins Street area there was also a gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, the UDA, and the security forces.<!--this is exactly what the source says--><ref name="Political Rituals 3"/> The UDA’s involvement in the 1972 parades made a lasting impression on Portadown's Catholics and Irish nationalists.<ref>Mervyn Jess. ''The Orange Order''. Dublin, 2007. p.101</ref> |
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===1985=== |
===1985=== |
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On '''17 March''' ([[Saint Patrick's Day]]) the Saint Patrick's Accordion Band (a local band from the Catholic community) was given permission to parade a two-mile 'circuit' of the mainly Catholic area.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/><ref name="Kaufmann 155">Kaufmann. p 155.</ref> However, a small part of the two-mile route (about 150 yards of Park Road) was lined with Protestant-owned houses.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> Arnold Hatch, the [[Mayor of Craigavon|town's mayor]] and [[Ulster Unionist Party]] councillor, demanded that the march be banned.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/><ref name="Kaufmann 155"/><ref name="Political Rituals 4">[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/csc/reports/rituals4.htm Bryan, Fraser, Dunn. ''Political Rituals: Loyalist Parades in Portadown - Part 4 - 1985 & 1986''.] CAIN</ref> When the |
On '''17 March''' ([[Saint Patrick's Day]]) the Saint Patrick's Accordion Band (a local band from the Catholic community) was given permission to parade a two-mile 'circuit' of the mainly Catholic area.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/><ref name="Kaufmann 155">Kaufmann. p 155.</ref> However, a small part of the two-mile route (about 150 yards of Park Road) was lined with Protestant-owned houses.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> Arnold Hatch, the [[Mayor of Craigavon|town's mayor]] and [[Ulster Unionist Party]] councillor, demanded that the march be banned.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/><ref name="Kaufmann 155"/><ref name="Political Rituals 4">[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/csc/reports/rituals4.htm Bryan, Fraser, Dunn. ''Political Rituals: Loyalist Parades in Portadown - Part 4 - 1985 & 1986''.] CAIN</ref> When the police let it go ahead, Hatch and a small group of loyalists staged a [[sit-in|sit-down protest]] on Park Road.<ref name="Kaufmann 155"/> The police forced the band to turn around.<ref name="Kaufmann 155"/><ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> That evening, the band again tried to march the route. Although the protesters had gone, the police again stopped the band.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> Following this incident, Portadown's Catholic and Irish nationalist community boosted their campaign to ban Orange marches from Obins Street.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] (SDLP) politician [[Bríd Rodgers]] described this incident as "pivotal" in the escalation of the parade dispute.<ref name="Kaufmann 155"/> |
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Shortly before the Drumcree parade of '''7 July''', hundreds of nationalists staged a sit-down protest on Obins Street. Present was [[Eunice Kennedy Shriver]], sister of former US president [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> Among the 2000 Orangemen were unionist politicians [[Martin Smyth]] (Orange Grand Master), [[Harold McCusker]] and [[George Seawright]]. Police forcefully removed the protesters and allowed the march to continue.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> At least one man was beaten unconscious by police and many were arrested.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> The whole length of Garvaghy Road was lined with British Army and police armoured vehicles for the march's return leg.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> On '''12 July''', eight Orange lodges met at Corcrain Orange Hall and tried to march through Obins Street to the town centre. When they were blocked by police, hundreds of loyalists gathered at both ends of the road and tried to push through police lines.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> At least 52 police and 28 rioters were wounded, while about 50 Catholic-owned buildings were attacked.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> After this, the police erected a barrier at each end of Obins Street.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> |
Shortly before the Drumcree parade of '''7 July''', hundreds of nationalists staged a sit-down protest on Obins Street. Present was [[Eunice Kennedy Shriver]], sister of former US president [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> Among the 2000 Orangemen were unionist politicians [[Martin Smyth]] (Orange Grand Master), [[Harold McCusker]] and [[George Seawright]]. Police forcefully removed the protesters and allowed the march to continue.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> At least one man was beaten unconscious by police and many were arrested.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> The whole length of Garvaghy Road was lined with British Army and police armoured vehicles for the march's return leg.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> On '''12 July''', eight Orange lodges met at Corcrain Orange Hall and tried to march through Obins Street to the town centre. When they were blocked by police, hundreds of loyalists gathered at both ends of the road and tried to push through police lines.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> At least 52 police and 28 rioters were wounded, while about 50 Catholic-owned buildings were attacked.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> After this, the police erected a barrier at each end of Obins Street.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> |
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===1986=== |
===1986=== |
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The [[Apprentice Boys of Derry|Apprentice Boys]], a Protestant [[fraternity]] similar to the Orange Order, had planned to march along Garvaghy Road and through the town centre on the afternoon of '''1 April''' ([[Easter Monday]]). On 30 March, the |
The [[Apprentice Boys of Derry|Apprentice Boys]], a Protestant [[fraternity]] similar to the Orange Order, had planned to march along Garvaghy Road and through the town centre on the afternoon of '''1 April''' ([[Easter Monday]]). On 30 March, the police decided to ban the march as it believed loyalist paramilitaries were planning to hijack it.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> That evening, cars with loudspeakers toured Protestant areas and summoned people to gather in the town centre to contest the ban. At 1am, at least 3000 loyalists gathered in the town centre, forced their way past a small group of police, and began marching along Garvaghy Road.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> Among them was [[Ian Paisley]],<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> leader of the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] and [[Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster|Free Presbyterian Church]]. Residents claimed that some of the marchers were carrying guns<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> and were known to be members of the police and UDR.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> Some of the marchers attacked houses along the route and residents claimed that the police did little or nothing to stop this.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> There followed rioting between residents and the police. Some set up barricades for fear of further attacks.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> There was a feeling among locals that the police had "mutinied" and refused to enforce the ban.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> In the afternoon, Apprentice Boys bands tried to enter the town centre for their planned march. When the police blocked their path, a fierce riot erupted. However, after negotiations, the bands were allowed to march through the town centre with some restrictions. As the march passed the street leading to the nationalist district, loyalists attacked police lines. One of them, Keith White, was shot in the face by a [[plastic bullet]] and died in hospital on 14 April.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1986.html |title=CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> |
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On '''6 July''' the Drumcree parade took place. An estimated 4000 soldiers and police were deployed in the town.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> The police said that the Orange Order had allowed "known troublemakers" to take part in the march, contrary to a prior agreement.<ref name="calgary">''The Calgary Herald'', 7 July 1986</ref> Among the marchers was [[George Seawright]], a unionist politician and [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] (UVF) member who had publicly proposed burning Catholics in ovens.<ref name="calgary"/> As the march entered the Catholic district, the police seized Seawright and other known militants. Orangemen attacked the police with stones and other missiles.<ref name="calgary"/> Along Obins Street and Garvaghy Road, locals were prevented from leaving their homes.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> Both Catholics and Protestants attacked police, injuring at least 27.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> |
On '''6 July''' the Drumcree parade took place. An estimated 4000 soldiers and police were deployed in the town.<ref name="Mulholland 2"/> The police said that the Orange Order had allowed "known troublemakers" to take part in the march, contrary to a prior agreement.<ref name="calgary">''The Calgary Herald'', 7 July 1986</ref> Among the marchers was [[George Seawright]], a unionist politician and [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] (UVF) member who had publicly proposed burning Catholics in ovens.<ref name="calgary"/> As the march entered the Catholic district, the police seized Seawright and other known militants. Orangemen attacked the police with stones and other missiles.<ref name="calgary"/> Along Obins Street and Garvaghy Road, locals were prevented from leaving their homes.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> Both Catholics and Protestants attacked police, injuring at least 27.<ref name="Political Rituals 4"/> |
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===1995=== |
===1995=== |
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On '''Sunday 9 July''' 1995, the Orangemen marched to Drumcree Church, held their church service, and then began marching towards the Garvaghy Road. However, hundreds of Catholic residents were holding a [[Sit-in|sit-down protest]] on Garvaghy Road to block the march.<ref>Mervyn Jess, ''The Orange Order'', Dublin, 2007, p.104.</ref> Although the march was legal and the protest was not, police stopped the march from continuing. The Orangemen refused to take an alternate route, announcing that they would stay at Drumcree until they were allowed to continue. The Orangemen refused to negotiate with the residents' group and the Mediation Network was called upon to intercede.<ref name="Mulholland"/> The |
On '''Sunday 9 July''' 1995, the Orangemen marched to Drumcree Church, held their church service, and then began marching towards the Garvaghy Road. However, hundreds of Catholic residents were holding a [[Sit-in|sit-down protest]] on Garvaghy Road to block the march.<ref>Mervyn Jess, ''The Orange Order'', Dublin, 2007, p.104.</ref> Although the march was legal and the protest was not, police stopped the march from continuing. The Orangemen refused to take an alternate route, announcing that they would stay at Drumcree until they were allowed to continue. The Orangemen refused to negotiate with the residents' group and the Mediation Network was called upon to intercede.<ref name="Mulholland"/> The police and local politicians were also involved in trying to resolve the deadlock. |
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Meanwhile, ~10,000 Orangemen and supporters had gathered at Drumcree and were engaged in a standoff with ~1,000 police.<ref name="CAIN 1995">{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/develop.htm#1 |title=CAIN - Events in Drumcree - July 1995 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> During this standoff, loyalists continuously threw missiles at the police and tried to break through the police blockade; police responded by firing 24 [[plastic bullet]]s.<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> In support of the Orangeman, loyalists blocked numerous roads across Northern Ireland, and sealed off the port of [[Larne]].<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> There was violence in some Protestant areas.<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> On the evening of '''Monday 10 July''', [[Ian Paisley]] ([[Democratic Unionist Party]] leader) and [[David Trimble]] ([[Ulster Unionist Party]] leader) held a rally at Drumcree. Afterwards, they gathered a number of Orangemen and tried to push through the police line, but were taken away by officers.<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> |
Meanwhile, ~10,000 Orangemen and supporters had gathered at Drumcree and were engaged in a standoff with ~1,000 police.<ref name="CAIN 1995">{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/develop.htm#1 |title=CAIN - Events in Drumcree - July 1995 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> During this standoff, loyalists continuously threw missiles at the police and tried to break through the police blockade; police responded by firing 24 [[plastic bullet]]s.<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> In support of the Orangeman, loyalists blocked numerous roads across Northern Ireland, and sealed off the port of [[Larne]].<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> There was violence in some Protestant areas.<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> On the evening of '''Monday 10 July''', [[Ian Paisley]] ([[Democratic Unionist Party]] leader) and [[David Trimble]] ([[Ulster Unionist Party]] leader) held a rally at Drumcree. Afterwards, they gathered a number of Orangemen and tried to push through the police line, but were taken away by officers.<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> |
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By the morning of '''Tuesday 11 July''', a compromise was reached. The Orangemen would be allowed to march along Garvaghy Road on condition that they did so silently and without accompanying bands. [[Ronnie Flanagan]] (Deputy Chief Constable of the |
By the morning of '''Tuesday 11 July''', a compromise was reached. The Orangemen would be allowed to march along Garvaghy Road on condition that they did so silently and without accompanying bands. [[Ronnie Flanagan]] (Deputy Chief Constable of the police) told the GRRC that residents should peacefully remove themselves from the road because "an angry scene between police and protesters could worsen the Ormeau marching dispute and even destabilise the ceasefires". When GRRC member Breandán Mac Cionnaith asked protesters to clear the road, some heckled him and refused. Flanagan was told there would be a better chance of the protesters moving if they knew there would be no march there next year. Flanagan replied that "there was no question of marches going where there was no consent from the community". The residents were then persuaded to clear the road. This was all confirmed by the Mediation Network.<ref>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/docs/mn13796.htm Statement by the Mediation Network on their role in negotiations at Drumcree, 1995]. [[Conflict Archive on the Internet]] (CAIN).</ref> The Orangemen then marched along the road with Paisley and Trimble at the head of the march. As they reached the end of Garvaghy Road, Paisley and Trimble held their hands in the air in what appeared to be a gesture of triumph.<ref name="CAIN 1995"/> Trimble claims that he only took Paisley's hand to prevent the DUP leader from taking all the media attention.<ref>Jess, pp.110-1.</ref> |
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Both sides were deeply unhappy with the events of July 1995. Residents were angered that the parade had gone ahead and at what they saw as unionist triumphalism, while Orangemen and their supporters were angered that their parade had been held up by an illegal protest. Some Orangemen formed a group called Spirit of Drumcree (SoD) to defend their "right to march". At a SoD meeting in Belfast's [[Ulster Hall]] one of the platform speakers said, to applause, that <blockquote>[[Sectarianism|Sectarian]] means you belong to a particular sect or organisation. I belong to the Orange Institution. [[Bigotry|Bigot]] means you look after the people you belong to. That's what I'm doing. I'm a sectarian bigot and proud of it.<ref>Jess, p.112.</ref></blockquote> |
Both sides were deeply unhappy with the events of July 1995. Residents were angered that the parade had gone ahead and at what they saw as unionist triumphalism, while Orangemen and their supporters were angered that their parade had been held up by an illegal protest. Some Orangemen formed a group called Spirit of Drumcree (SoD) to defend their "right to march". At a SoD meeting in Belfast's [[Ulster Hall]] one of the platform speakers said, to applause, that <blockquote>[[Sectarianism|Sectarian]] means you belong to a particular sect or organisation. I belong to the Orange Institution. [[Bigotry|Bigot]] means you look after the people you belong to. That's what I'm doing. I'm a sectarian bigot and proud of it.<ref>Jess, p.112.</ref></blockquote> |
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On '''Saturday 6 July''' 1996 the Chief Constable, Sir [[Hugh Annesley (police officer)|Hugh Annesley]], stated that the parade would be banned from Garvaghy Road.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/docs/cc5796.htm |title=CAIN - Statement by the Chief Constable on his decision to re-route the Drumcree Parade - 1996 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date=6 July 1996 |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> Police checkpoints and barricades were set up on all routes into the nationalist area. |
On '''Saturday 6 July''' 1996 the Chief Constable, Sir [[Hugh Annesley (police officer)|Hugh Annesley]], stated that the parade would be banned from Garvaghy Road.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/docs/cc5796.htm |title=CAIN - Statement by the Chief Constable on his decision to re-route the Drumcree Parade - 1996 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date=6 July 1996 |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> Police checkpoints and barricades were set up on all routes into the nationalist area. |
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On '''Sunday 7 July''' the march made its way to Drumcree Church and, after the church service, was again blocked by police barricades. At least 4,000 Orangemen and loyalist supporters began another standoff. That afternoon, Reverend Martin Smyth (then Orange Grand Master) arrived at Drumcree and announced that there could be no compromise.<ref name="CAIN 1996">{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/develop.htm#2 |title=CAIN - Events in Drumcree - 1996 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> Over the next three days, buses full of Orangemen and their supporters arrived in Portadown, bringing traffic to a standstill.<ref name=irishnews96>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/docs/news13796.htm "Questions following U-turn"]. ''[[Irish News]]'', 13 July 1996. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref> By Wednesday night the number of Orangemen and loyalists at Drumcree had risen to 10,000.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> Again, they pelted the police with missiles and tried to break through the blockade, while police responded with plastic bullets.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> Loyalists brought an armour-plated bulldozer to Drumcree, threatening to storm the police line.<ref name=irishnews96/> Throughout Northern Ireland, loyalists blocked hundreds of roads, clashed with the |
On '''Sunday 7 July''' the march made its way to Drumcree Church and, after the church service, was again blocked by police barricades. At least 4,000 Orangemen and loyalist supporters began another standoff. That afternoon, Reverend Martin Smyth (then Orange Grand Master) arrived at Drumcree and announced that there could be no compromise.<ref name="CAIN 1996">{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/develop.htm#2 |title=CAIN - Events in Drumcree - 1996 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> Over the next three days, buses full of Orangemen and their supporters arrived in Portadown, bringing traffic to a standstill.<ref name=irishnews96>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/docs/news13796.htm "Questions following U-turn"]. ''[[Irish News]]'', 13 July 1996. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref> By Wednesday night the number of Orangemen and loyalists at Drumcree had risen to 10,000.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> Again, they pelted the police with missiles and tried to break through the blockade, while police responded with plastic bullets.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> Loyalists brought an armour-plated bulldozer to Drumcree, threatening to storm the police line.<ref name=irishnews96/> Throughout Northern Ireland, loyalists blocked hundreds of roads, clashed with the police, and attacked or intimidated Catholics and nationalists. Many towns and villages were blockaded, either completely or for much of the daytime. Several Catholic families were forced to flee their homes in Belfast due to loyalist intimidation.<ref name=cainchron96>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch96.htm Chronology of the Conflict: 1996]. [[Conflict Archive on the Internet]] (CAIN).</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]] said that the police failed to remove these illegal roadblocks and had "abandoned its traditional policing function in some areas".<ref name=cainchron97>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch97.htm Chronology of the Conflict: 1997]. [[Conflict Archive on the Internet]] (CAIN).</ref> Loyalists also targeted the homes of police officers, many of whom were on duty at Drumcree. During the disorder, thousands of extra British troops were sent to Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of troops deployed to 18,500.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> |
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On the night of 7 July, Catholic taxi-driver Michael McGoldrick was shot dead near [[Lurgan]] by the [[UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade|Mid Ulster Brigade]] of the [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group.<ref>Jess, p.114.</ref> It is believed the killing was ordered by the brigade's leader, [[Billy Wright (loyalist)|Billy Wright]], from Portadown.<ref name="Susan McKay"/> Wright was frequently seen at Drumcree in the company of Harold Gracey, head of the Portadown Orange Lodge.<ref name="Susan McKay"/> He also held a meeting with David Trimble, leader of the UUP.<ref name=cainchron96/> Members of the brigade smuggled homemade weaponry to Drumcree, apparently unhindered by the Orangemen.<ref name="Susan McKay"/> Allegedly, the brigade also had plans to drive [[tank truck|petrol tankers]] into the Garvaghy area and blow them up.<ref>Coogan, Tim. ''The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal 1966-1995 and the Search for Peace''. Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Page 517.</ref> |
On the night of 7 July, Catholic taxi-driver Michael McGoldrick was shot dead near [[Lurgan]] by the [[UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade|Mid Ulster Brigade]] of the [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group.<ref>Jess, p.114.</ref> It is believed the killing was ordered by the brigade's leader, [[Billy Wright (loyalist)|Billy Wright]], from Portadown.<ref name="Susan McKay"/> Wright was frequently seen at Drumcree in the company of Harold Gracey, head of the Portadown Orange Lodge.<ref name="Susan McKay"/> He also held a meeting with David Trimble, leader of the UUP.<ref name=cainchron96/> Members of the brigade smuggled homemade weaponry to Drumcree, apparently unhindered by the Orangemen.<ref name="Susan McKay"/> Allegedly, the brigade also had plans to drive [[tank truck|petrol tankers]] into the Garvaghy area and blow them up.<ref>Coogan, Tim. ''The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal 1966-1995 and the Search for Peace''. Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Page 517.</ref> |
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On '''Wednesday 10 July''', the |
On '''Wednesday 10 July''', the police reported that, over the previous four days of loyalist protests, there had been: |
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*100 incidents of intimidation |
*100 incidents of intimidation |
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*758 attacks on the police |
*758 attacks on the police |
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*156 arrests made<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> |
*156 arrests made<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> |
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Shortly before noon on '''Thursday 11 July''', the Chief Constable reversed his decision and allowed the Orangemen to march along Garvaghy Road. The residents' group had not been consulted on this and rioting erupted as police in armoured vehicles flooded the Garvaghy area and batoned hundreds of protesters off the Garvaghy Road.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> About 1,200 Orangemen then marched down the road while residents were hemmed into their estates by riot police.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> There was outrage in the nationalist community, who believed that the |
Shortly before noon on '''Thursday 11 July''', the Chief Constable reversed his decision and allowed the Orangemen to march along Garvaghy Road. The residents' group had not been consulted on this and rioting erupted as police in armoured vehicles flooded the Garvaghy area and batoned hundreds of protesters off the Garvaghy Road.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> About 1,200 Orangemen then marched down the road while residents were hemmed into their estates by riot police.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> There was outrage in the nationalist community, who believed that the police had "surrendered" to loyalist violence and the threat of violence.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> An article in the ''[[Irish News]]'' concluded that "the police did not have the will to impose the rule of law on the Orange Order and loyalists".<ref name=irishnews96/> The Chief Constable said he believed the situation could no longer be contained. He claimed the crowd at Drumcree was expected to rise to 60,000 or 70,000 that night and that it would have broken through the defences and attacked the nationalist area.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> Nationalists argued that the police did nothing to stop the thousands of loyalists from gathering.<ref name=irishnews96/> |
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Rioting erupted in nationalist areas of Lurgan, [[Armagh]], [[Belfast]] and [[Derry]].<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> In Derry, 22 protestors were seriously injured and one, Dermot McShane, died after being run-over by a British Army [[Snatch Land Rover|armoured vehicle]].<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> Rioting continued throughout the week, during which time the |
Rioting erupted in nationalist areas of Lurgan, [[Armagh]], [[Belfast]] and [[Derry]].<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> In Derry, 22 protestors were seriously injured and one, Dermot McShane, died after being run-over by a British Army [[Snatch Land Rover|armoured vehicle]].<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> Rioting continued throughout the week, during which time the police fired a total of 6002 plastic bullets, 5000 of which were directed at nationalists.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> The [[Committee on the Administration of Justice]] (CAJ), who had sent members to observe the situation, condemned this "completely indiscriminate" use of plastic bullets.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> Human Rights Watch also accused the police of using "excessive force".<ref name=cainchron97/> Following the events, leaders of both [[Sinn Féin]] and the [[Social Democratic and Labour Party|SDLP]] stated that nationalists had completely lost faith in the police as an impartial police force.<ref name="CAIN 1996"/> |
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In August 1996, Billy Wright and his Portadown unit of the UVF were 'stood down' by the UVF leadership for breaking the ceasefire. The UVF warned that it would "execute" Wright if he did not leave Northern Ireland. He ignored the warning, and a large rally was held in Portadown in support of him. Harold Gracey (head of the Portadown Orange Lodge) and [[William McCrea (politician)|William McCrea]] (a DUP politician) attended the rally and made speeches in support of Wright.<ref>Sydney Elliott & William D Flackes. ''Conflict in Northern Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Abc-Clio Incorporated, 1999. p.92.</ref> Along with most of his Portadown unit, Wright then formed a splinter group called the [[Loyalist Volunteer Force]] (LVF). |
In August 1996, Billy Wright and his Portadown unit of the UVF were 'stood down' by the UVF leadership for breaking the ceasefire. The UVF warned that it would "execute" Wright if he did not leave Northern Ireland. He ignored the warning, and a large rally was held in Portadown in support of him. Harold Gracey (head of the Portadown Orange Lodge) and [[William McCrea (politician)|William McCrea]] (a DUP politician) attended the rally and made speeches in support of Wright.<ref>Sydney Elliott & William D Flackes. ''Conflict in Northern Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Abc-Clio Incorporated, 1999. p.92.</ref> Along with most of his Portadown unit, Wright then formed a splinter group called the [[Loyalist Volunteer Force]] (LVF). |
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{{Main|1997 nationalist riots in Northern Ireland}} |
{{Main|1997 nationalist riots in Northern Ireland}} |
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[[File:Anti Orange Order sign in Rasharkin.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A placard opposing Orange marches in nationalist areas. Similar placards were used by protesters during the 1997 crisis]] |
[[File:Anti Orange Order sign in Rasharkin.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A placard opposing Orange marches in nationalist areas. Similar placards were used by protesters during the 1997 crisis]] |
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Weeks before the July 1997 march, Secretary of State [[Mo Mowlam]] privately decided to let the march proceed along Garvaghy Road.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> However, in the days leading up to the march, she insisted that no decision had been made.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> Garvaghy Road residents applied to hold a festival on the day of the march. When this was banned by the |
Weeks before the July 1997 march, Secretary of State [[Mo Mowlam]] privately decided to let the march proceed along Garvaghy Road.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> However, in the days leading up to the march, she insisted that no decision had been made.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> Garvaghy Road residents applied to hold a festival on the day of the march. When this was banned by the police, local women set up a [[peace camp]] along the Garvaghy Road.<ref name=cainchron97/><ref name="CAIN 1997"/> On '''Thursday 3 July''', the [[Loyalist Volunteer Force]] (LVF) threatened to kill Catholic civilians if the march was not allowed to proceed<ref name="CAIN 1997">{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/develop.htm#9 |title=CAIN - Events in Drumcree - July 1997 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> and the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] threatened to withdraw from the [[Northern Ireland peace process]].<ref>Jess, p.130.</ref> The following day, sixty families had to be evacuated from their homes on Garvaghy Road after a loyalist bomb threat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch97.htm#Jul |title=CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1997 |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=19 April 2010}}</ref> |
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In the days leading up to the march, thousands of British troops were flown to Northern Ireland.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> Less than twelve hours before the '''Sunday 6 July''' march, the authorities still did not say whether it would be blocked. Then, at 3:30<small>AM</small> that morning, 1500 police and soldiers swept into the nationalist area in armoured vehicles and took control of the Garvaghy Road.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> About 100 residents managed to get to the road and stage a sit-down protest.<ref name=nelson86>[http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1012/hc09/0947/0947.pdf ''The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry Report''] (23 May 2011), pp.86-88</ref> They were forcefully removed by the |
In the days leading up to the march, thousands of British troops were flown to Northern Ireland.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> Less than twelve hours before the '''Sunday 6 July''' march, the authorities still did not say whether it would be blocked. Then, at 3:30<small>AM</small> that morning, 1500 police and soldiers swept into the nationalist area in armoured vehicles and took control of the Garvaghy Road.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> About 100 residents managed to get to the road and stage a sit-down protest.<ref name=nelson86>[http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1012/hc09/0947/0947.pdf ''The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry Report''] (23 May 2011), pp.86-88</ref> They were forcefully removed by the police, who were then pelted with stones and petrol bombs as they pushed residents further back from the road.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> [[Rosemary Nelson]]—a prominent human rights lawyer and the GRRC's legal advisor—was physically and verbally abused by police officers.<ref name=nelson86/> From this point onward, all residents were prevented from leaving their housing estates and accessing the Garvaghy Road.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> As residents were also unable to reach the Catholic {{Not a typo|church}}, the local priests were forced to hold an open-air [[Mass (liturgy)|mass]] in front of a line of soldiers and [[armoured personnel carrier]]s.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> |
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The Chief Constable said he had allowed the march to continue because of the threat to Catholic civilians by loyalist paramilitaries.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> About 1,200 Orangemen marched along Garvaghy Road at noon that day.<ref name=cainchron97/> After the march passed, the security forces began withdrawing from the area. They were attacked by hundreds of nationalists with stones, bricks and petrol bombs. The security forces fired about 40 [[plastic bullet]]s, and about 18 people were taken to hospital.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> As news from Portadown emerged, violence erupted in several nationalist areas of Northern Ireland. The Provisional IRA launched numerous gun and bomb attacks on the security forces. Nationalists also attacked the security forces and blocked roads with burning vehicles. There were protests against the |
The Chief Constable said he had allowed the march to continue because of the threat to Catholic civilians by loyalist paramilitaries.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> About 1,200 Orangemen marched along Garvaghy Road at noon that day.<ref name=cainchron97/> After the march passed, the security forces began withdrawing from the area. They were attacked by hundreds of nationalists with stones, bricks and petrol bombs. The security forces fired about 40 [[plastic bullet]]s, and about 18 people were taken to hospital.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> As news from Portadown emerged, violence erupted in several nationalist areas of Northern Ireland. The Provisional IRA launched numerous gun and bomb attacks on the security forces. Nationalists also attacked the security forces and blocked roads with burning vehicles. There were protests against the police and Orange marches, and a number of Orange halls were burnt. The widespread violence lasted until 10 July, when the Orange Order decided unilaterally to re-route or cancel several marches. By the end of the violence, more than 100 civilians and 60 police officers had been injured, while 117 people had been arrested. There had been 815 attacks on the security forces, 1,506 petrol bombs thrown and 402 hijackings. The police had fired 2,500 plastic bullets.<ref name="CAIN 1997"/> |
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In 1997, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams told an [[RTÉ]] journalist of his party's involvement in the dispute:<blockquote>Ask any activist in the north, ‘did Drumcree happen by accident?', and he will tell you, ‘no'. Three years of work on the lower Ormeau Road, Portadown and parts of Fermanagh and Newry, Armagh and in Bellaghy and up in Derry. Three years of work went into creating that situation and fair play to those people who put the work in. They are the type of scene changes that we have to focus on and develop and exploit.<ref>Ruth Dudley Edwards, ''The Faithful Tribe'', p.362.</ref><ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091027/debtext/91027-0012.htm Hansard] (Col 216), 27 October 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.independent.ie/national-news/orange-order-troublemak-ers-need-to-be-disciplined-502087.html "Orange Order troublemakers need to be disciplined"]. ''[[Irish Independent]]''. 14 July 2002. Retrieved 9 March 2011.</ref></blockquote> |
In 1997, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams told an [[RTÉ]] journalist of his party's involvement in the dispute:<blockquote>Ask any activist in the north, ‘did Drumcree happen by accident?', and he will tell you, ‘no'. Three years of work on the lower Ormeau Road, Portadown and parts of Fermanagh and Newry, Armagh and in Bellaghy and up in Derry. Three years of work went into creating that situation and fair play to those people who put the work in. They are the type of scene changes that we have to focus on and develop and exploit.<ref>Ruth Dudley Edwards, ''The Faithful Tribe'', p.362.</ref><ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091027/debtext/91027-0012.htm Hansard] (Col 216), 27 October 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.independent.ie/national-news/orange-order-troublemak-ers-need-to-be-disciplined-502087.html "Orange Order troublemakers need to be disciplined"]. ''[[Irish Independent]]''. 14 July 2002. Retrieved 9 March 2011.</ref></blockquote> |
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On '''Sunday 5 July''' the Orangemen marched to Drumcree Church and stated that they would remain there until they were allowed to proceed.<ref name="CAIN 1998"/> About 10,000 Orangemen and loyalists arrived at Drumcree from across Northern Ireland.<ref name=cainchron98>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch98.htm Chronology of the Conflict: 1998]. [[Conflict Archive on the Internet]] (CAIN).</ref> A loyalist group calling itself "Portadown Action Command" issued a statement which read:<blockquote>As from midnight on Friday 10 July 1998, any driver of any vehicle supplying any goods of any kind to the Gavaghy Road will be summarily executed.<ref name="Susan McKay"/></blockquote> |
On '''Sunday 5 July''' the Orangemen marched to Drumcree Church and stated that they would remain there until they were allowed to proceed.<ref name="CAIN 1998"/> About 10,000 Orangemen and loyalists arrived at Drumcree from across Northern Ireland.<ref name=cainchron98>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch98.htm Chronology of the Conflict: 1998]. [[Conflict Archive on the Internet]] (CAIN).</ref> A loyalist group calling itself "Portadown Action Command" issued a statement which read:<blockquote>As from midnight on Friday 10 July 1998, any driver of any vehicle supplying any goods of any kind to the Gavaghy Road will be summarily executed.<ref name="Susan McKay"/></blockquote> |
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Over the next ten days, there were loyalist protests and violence across Northern Ireland in response to the ban. Loyalists blocked roads and attacked the security forces as well as Catholic homes, businesses, schools and churches.<ref name=cainchron98/> On 7 July, the mainly-Catholic village of [[Dunloy]] was "besieged" by over 1,000 Orangemen. The County Antrim Grand Lodge said that its members had "taken up positions" and "held" the village.<ref name=cainchron98/> On 8 July, eight blast bombs were thrown at Catholic homes in the Collingwood area of Lurgan.<ref name=cainchron98/> There were also sustained attacks on the security forces at Drumcree and attempts to break through the blockade.<ref name=cainchron98/> On 9 July, the security forces at Drumcree were attacked with gunfire and blast bombs; they responded with plastic bullets.<ref name=cainchron98/> The |
Over the next ten days, there were loyalist protests and violence across Northern Ireland in response to the ban. Loyalists blocked roads and attacked the security forces as well as Catholic homes, businesses, schools and churches.<ref name=cainchron98/> On 7 July, the mainly-Catholic village of [[Dunloy]] was "besieged" by over 1,000 Orangemen. The County Antrim Grand Lodge said that its members had "taken up positions" and "held" the village.<ref name=cainchron98/> On 8 July, eight blast bombs were thrown at Catholic homes in the Collingwood area of Lurgan.<ref name=cainchron98/> There were also sustained attacks on the security forces at Drumcree and attempts to break through the blockade.<ref name=cainchron98/> On 9 July, the security forces at Drumcree were attacked with gunfire and blast bombs; they responded with plastic bullets.<ref name=cainchron98/> The police recorded 2,561 "public order incidents" throughout Northern Ireland,<ref name="CAIN 1998"/> including:<ref name="CAIN 1998"/> |
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*615 attacks on the security forces, which left 76 police offices injured |
*615 attacks on the security forces, which left 76 police offices injured |
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*24 shooting incidents |
*24 shooting incidents |
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On '''Sunday 12 July''' at 4:30am, [[Quinn brothers|Jason (aged 8), Mark (aged 9) and Richard Quinn (aged 10)]] were burnt to death when their home was [[Incendiary device|firebombed]] by loyalists.<ref name="CAIN 1998"/> The boys' mother was a Catholic, and their home was in a mainly-Protestant part of [[Ballymoney]]. Following the murders, William Bingham (County Grand Chaplain of Armagh and member of the Orange Order negotiating team) said that "walking down the Garvaghy Road would be a hollow victory, because it would be in the shadow of three coffins of little boys who wouldn't even know what the Orange Order is about". He said that the Order had lost control of the situation and that "no road is worth a life".<ref>Jess, pp.134-5.</ref> However he later apologized for implying that the Order was in any way responsible for the deaths.<ref>Jess, p.136.</ref> The murders provoked widespread anger and calls for the Order to end its protest at Drumcree. Although the number of protesters at Drumcree dropped greatly, the Portadown lodges voted unanimously to continue their standoff.<ref name="CAIN 1998"/> |
On '''Sunday 12 July''' at 4:30am, [[Quinn brothers|Jason (aged 8), Mark (aged 9) and Richard Quinn (aged 10)]] were burnt to death when their home was [[Incendiary device|firebombed]] by loyalists.<ref name="CAIN 1998"/> The boys' mother was a Catholic, and their home was in a mainly-Protestant part of [[Ballymoney]]. Following the murders, William Bingham (County Grand Chaplain of Armagh and member of the Orange Order negotiating team) said that "walking down the Garvaghy Road would be a hollow victory, because it would be in the shadow of three coffins of little boys who wouldn't even know what the Orange Order is about". He said that the Order had lost control of the situation and that "no road is worth a life".<ref>Jess, pp.134-5.</ref> However he later apologized for implying that the Order was in any way responsible for the deaths.<ref>Jess, p.136.</ref> The murders provoked widespread anger and calls for the Order to end its protest at Drumcree. Although the number of protesters at Drumcree dropped greatly, the Portadown lodges voted unanimously to continue their standoff.<ref name="CAIN 1998"/> |
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On '''Wednesday 15 July''' at 6:30am the |
On '''Wednesday 15 July''' at 6:30am the police began a search operation in the fields at Drumcree. A number of loyalist weapons were uncovered in the search, including: a home-made [[machine gun]], spent and live [[ammunition]], [[bomb|explosive devices]], and two [[crossbow]]s with more than a dozen home-made explosive arrows.<ref name="CAIN 1998"/><ref name=cainchron98/> |
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===1999=== |
===1999=== |
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On 14 March 1999, the Parades Commission said that the upcoming march would again be banned from Garvaghy Road. The following day the GRRC's legal advisor, [[Rosemary Nelson]], was assassinated in Lurgan by loyalists.<ref name="cainchron99">{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch99.htm|title=CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict: 1999|publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk|date=|accessdate=9 March 2011}}</ref> |
On 14 March 1999, the Parades Commission said that the upcoming march would again be banned from Garvaghy Road. The following day the GRRC's legal advisor, [[Rosemary Nelson]], was assassinated in Lurgan by loyalists.<ref name="cainchron99">{{Cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch99.htm|title=CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict: 1999|publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk|date=|accessdate=9 March 2011}}</ref> |
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In April 1999, Portadown loyalists threatened to mount a [[wikt:picket|picket]] of St John's Catholic Church at the top of Garvaghy Road. On 29 May a 'junior' Orange march passed near Garvaghy Road. There were clashes following the march with 13 |
In April 1999, Portadown loyalists threatened to mount a [[wikt:picket|picket]] of St John's Catholic Church at the top of Garvaghy Road. On 29 May a 'junior' Orange march passed near Garvaghy Road. There were clashes following the march with 13 police officers and four civilians hurt. The police fired 50 plastic bullets during the clashes.<ref name="cainchron99"/> |
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;July |
;July |
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The 1999 Drumcree march took place on Sunday 4 July. The security forces had again blocked all roads leading into the nationalist area with large steel, concrete and barbed wire barricades. Rows of barbed wire were also stretched across the fields at Drumcree. There, loyalists threw missiles at police and soldiers, but there was less violence than the year before.<ref name="cainchron99"/> The barricades were removed on 14 July.<ref name="cainchron99"/> |
The 1999 Drumcree march took place on Sunday 4 July. The security forces had again blocked all roads leading into the nationalist area with large steel, concrete and barbed wire barricades. Rows of barbed wire were also stretched across the fields at Drumcree. There, loyalists threw missiles at police and soldiers, but there was less violence than the year before.<ref name="cainchron99"/> The barricades were removed on 14 July.<ref name="cainchron99"/> |
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On 28 July, a 15-year-old Catholic boy was attacked as Orangemen removed their arch at the end of Garvaghy Road. He was allegedly beaten by loyalists within yards of two |
On 28 July, a 15-year-old Catholic boy was attacked as Orangemen removed their arch at the end of Garvaghy Road. He was allegedly beaten by loyalists within yards of two police landrovers.<ref>[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/loyatt.html Sectarian attacks: May/June/July 1999]. [[Pat Finucane Centre]]</ref> On 31 July, a loyalist wielding an [[AK-47]] and a [[handgun]] walked along Craigwell Avenue (a street of Catholic-owned houses) firing shots. He was wrestled to the ground and arrested. In August, the street was evacuated after a hoax bomb alert, and the houses were attacked with breeze blocks.<ref>[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/attaug.html Sectarian attacks: August 1999]. Pat Finucane Centre</ref> |
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Also that year, the GRRC published a book detailing the history of Orange parades in the area. The book was called ''Garvaghy: A Community Under Siege''. |
Also that year, the GRRC published a book detailing the history of Orange parades in the area. The book was called ''Garvaghy: A Community Under Siege''. |
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===2000=== |
===2000=== |
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;April to June |
;April to June |
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In April 2000, a newspaper reported that Portadown Orangemen had threatened British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], saying that if that year's march was banned from Garvaghy Road it would prove to be his "[[Bloody Sunday (disambiguation)|Bloody Sunday]]".<ref>[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/apratt.html Sectarian attacks: April 2000]. Pat Finucane Centre</ref> The following month, almost 200 masked loyalists attacked Catholic-owned houses on Craigwell Avenue after assembling at Carlton Street Orange Hall. Allegedly, |
In April 2000, a newspaper reported that Portadown Orangemen had threatened British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], saying that if that year's march was banned from Garvaghy Road it would prove to be his "[[Bloody Sunday (disambiguation)|Bloody Sunday]]".<ref>[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/apratt.html Sectarian attacks: April 2000]. Pat Finucane Centre</ref> The following month, almost 200 masked loyalists attacked Catholic-owned houses on Craigwell Avenue after assembling at Carlton Street Orange Hall. Allegedly, police landrovers were nearby but did not intervene.<ref name="pfcmay00">[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/may00att.html Sectarian attacks: May 2000]. Pat Finucane Centre</ref> On 27 May, the nationalist area was sealed-off so that a 'junior' Orange parade could march along the lower end of Garvaghy Road. The march included men in paramilitary uniform.<ref name="pfcmay00"/> |
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[[File:St John's Roman Catholic Church, Portadown - geograph - 527608.jpg|thumb|St John's Catholic Church at the northern end of Garvaghy Road]] |
[[File:St John's Roman Catholic Church, Portadown - geograph - 527608.jpg|thumb|St John's Catholic Church at the northern end of Garvaghy Road]] |
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The 2000 Drumcree march took place on '''Sunday 2 July'''. It was again banned from Garvaghy Road and the nationalist area was sealed-off with barricades. Speaking after the march was stopped, Orange 'District Master' Harold Gracey called for protests across Northern Ireland.<ref name="pfcjul00">[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/july001att.html Sectarian attacks: 1-7 July 2000]. Pat Finucane Centre</ref> A prominent leader of the protesters, Stoneyford Orangeman Mark Harbinson, a child sex abuser<ref>"Sex offence loyalist abandons bid to appeal convictions", ''[[Irish News]]'' 12 December 2012</ref> who was associated with the paramilitary [[Orange Volunteers]], proclaimed that "the war begins today".<ref name="pfcjul00"/> On '''Monday 3 July''' a crowd of over fifty loyalists, led by UDA commander [[Johnny Adair]], appeared at Drumcree with a banner bearing "Shankill Road UFF" [Ulster Freedom Fighters]. In the Corcrain area, LVF gunmen fired a volley of shots in the air for Adair and a cheering crowd.<ref name="pfcjul00"/> On '''Tuesday 4 July''', security forces used [[water cannon]] against loyalist protesters at the Drumcree barricade. This was their first deployment in Northern Ireland for over 30 years.<ref name="pfcjul00"/> |
The 2000 Drumcree march took place on '''Sunday 2 July'''. It was again banned from Garvaghy Road and the nationalist area was sealed-off with barricades. Speaking after the march was stopped, Orange 'District Master' Harold Gracey called for protests across Northern Ireland.<ref name="pfcjul00">[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/july001att.html Sectarian attacks: 1-7 July 2000]. Pat Finucane Centre</ref> A prominent leader of the protesters, Stoneyford Orangeman Mark Harbinson, a child sex abuser<ref>"Sex offence loyalist abandons bid to appeal convictions", ''[[Irish News]]'' 12 December 2012</ref> who was associated with the paramilitary [[Orange Volunteers]], proclaimed that "the war begins today".<ref name="pfcjul00"/> On '''Monday 3 July''' a crowd of over fifty loyalists, led by UDA commander [[Johnny Adair]], appeared at Drumcree with a banner bearing "Shankill Road UFF" [Ulster Freedom Fighters]. In the Corcrain area, LVF gunmen fired a volley of shots in the air for Adair and a cheering crowd.<ref name="pfcjul00"/> On '''Tuesday 4 July''', security forces used [[water cannon]] against loyalist protesters at the Drumcree barricade. This was their first deployment in Northern Ireland for over 30 years.<ref name="pfcjul00"/> |
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In an interview on 7 July, Harold Gracey refused to condemn the violence linked to the protests, saying "Gerry Adams doesn't condemn violence so I'll not".<ref name="pfcjul00"/> On 9 July, the |
In an interview on 7 July, Harold Gracey refused to condemn the violence linked to the protests, saying "Gerry Adams doesn't condemn violence so I'll not".<ref name="pfcjul00"/> On 9 July, the police warned that loyalists had threatened to "kill a Catholic a day" until the Orangemen were allowed to march along Garvaghy Road.<ref name="pfcjul00.2"/> Two days later, a group of 150–200 loyalists ordered all shops in Portadown's town centre to shut. Along with another group, they then tried to march on Garvaghy Road from both ends, but were held back by the police. That night, 21 police officers were hurt during clashes with loyalists.<ref name="pfcjul00.2"/> |
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On 14 July, Portadown Orangemen's calls for another day of widespread protest went unheeded as the Armagh and Grand Lodges refused to support their calls. Businesses remained open and only a handful of roads were blocked for a short time. The security barriers were removed and soldiers returned to barracks.<ref name="pfcjul00.2"/> |
On 14 July, Portadown Orangemen's calls for another day of widespread protest went unheeded as the Armagh and Grand Lodges refused to support their calls. Businesses remained open and only a handful of roads were blocked for a short time. The security barriers were removed and soldiers returned to barracks.<ref name="pfcjul00.2"/> |
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In February 2001, loyalists held protests on the lower Garvaghy Road as part of the run-up to "day 1000" of the standoff. The GRRC said that up to 300 people, some masked and armed with clubs, intimidated people living on Garvaghy Road. Some protesters also attacked a car with four women inside.<ref>[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/feb01att.html Sectarian attacks: February 2001], Pat Finucane Centre</ref> |
In February 2001, loyalists held protests on the lower Garvaghy Road as part of the run-up to "day 1000" of the standoff. The GRRC said that up to 300 people, some masked and armed with clubs, intimidated people living on Garvaghy Road. Some protesters also attacked a car with four women inside.<ref>[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/feb01att.html Sectarian attacks: February 2001], Pat Finucane Centre</ref> |
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There was further violence in May 2001. On 5 May, 300 Orangemen and supporters tried to march on to Garvaghy Road but were stopped by |
There was further violence in May 2001. On 5 May, 300 Orangemen and supporters tried to march on to Garvaghy Road but were stopped by police. There were some scuffles between Orangemen and police officers. District Master Harold Gracey drew controversy when he said to the police officers: "We all know where you come from...you come from the Protestant community, the vast majority of you come from the Protestant community and it is high time that you supported your own Protestant people".<ref name="pfcmay2001">[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/may01att.html Sectarian attacks: May 2001], Pat Finucane Centre</ref> On 12 May there were clashes between loyalists and nationalists on Woodhouse Street. On 27 May there were clashes between nationalists and the police after a junior Orange march on the lower Garvaghy Road.<ref name="pfcmay2001"/> |
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Four days before the July 2001 Drumcree march, 200 supporters and members of the UDA/UFF rallied at Drumcree. The Portadown Orange Lodge claimed that it was powerless to stop such people from gathering and that they could not be held responsible for their actions. Nevertheless, David Jones (the Lodge's spokesman) said that he welcomed any support. Bríd Rogers, a local SDLP politician, called this "a further example" of the Orangemen's "double standards". She said that the Orangemen would not speak to the GRRC because of Mac Cionnaith's "terrorist past", yet they are "quite happy to associate with people who have a terrorist present".<ref>[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/july01atta.html Sectarian attacks: July 2001 (a)], Pat Finucane Centre</ref> The march passed off peacefully under a heavy security presence.<ref>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch01.htm#Jul Chronology of the Conflict: July 2001], CAIN</ref> |
Four days before the July 2001 Drumcree march, 200 supporters and members of the UDA/UFF rallied at Drumcree. The Portadown Orange Lodge claimed that it was powerless to stop such people from gathering and that they could not be held responsible for their actions. Nevertheless, David Jones (the Lodge's spokesman) said that he welcomed any support. Bríd Rogers, a local SDLP politician, called this "a further example" of the Orangemen's "double standards". She said that the Orangemen would not speak to the GRRC because of Mac Cionnaith's "terrorist past", yet they are "quite happy to associate with people who have a terrorist present".<ref>[http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/archive/sattacks/july01atta.html Sectarian attacks: July 2001 (a)], Pat Finucane Centre</ref> The march passed off peacefully under a heavy security presence.<ref>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch01.htm#Jul Chronology of the Conflict: July 2001], CAIN</ref> |
Revision as of 08:58, 20 August 2013
The Drumcree conflict or Drumcree standoff is an ongoing dispute over a yearly parade in the town of Portadown, Northern Ireland. The dispute is between the Orange Order (a Protestant, unionist organization) and local residents from the Irish Catholic and Irish nationalist community. The residents are currently represented by the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC); before 1995 they were represented mainly by the Drumcree Faith & Justice Group (DFJG). The Orange Order insists that it should be allowed to march its traditional route to-and-from Drumcree Church, just outside the town (see map). It had marched this route since 1807, when the area was sparsely populated. However, today most of this route is within the town's mainly Catholic quarter, which is densely populated. The residents, who see the parade as sectarian, triumphalist[1] and supremacist, have sought to ban it from their area.[2] The "Drumcree parade" is held on the Sunday before the Twelfth of July.
There have been intermittent violent clashes during the parade since at least 1873. The onset of the Troubles led to the dispute intensifying in the 1970s and 1980s. At this time, the most contentious part of the parade was the outward leg along Obins Street. After serious violence two years in a row, the parade was banned from Obins Street in 1986. The focus then shifted to the parade's return leg along Garvaghy Road. In 1995, the dispute drew the attention of the international media as it led to widespread protests and severe rioting throughout Northern Ireland. This was repeated every July for the next four years. During this time the dispute led to the deaths of at least five civilians and prompted a massive police and British Army operation. The Army sealed-off the Catholic part of Portadown with large steel, concrete and barbed-wire barricades. Since 1998 the parade has been banned from most of the Catholic area, and the violence has subsided. However, regular moves to get the two sides into face-to-face talks have failed.
Background
Portadown has long been a mainly Protestant, unionist and loyalist town. At the height of the conflict in the 1990s, about 70% of the population were from a Protestant background and 30% from a Catholic background. The town's Catholic and Irish nationalist community claim that they have long suffered discrimination, especially in employment.[4] Each summer the town centre is bedecked with loyalist flags and symbols.[5] This is to coincide with the "marching season", when numerous Protestant/loyalist marches take place in the town. Throughout the 20th century, the police force (Royal Ulster Constabulary(RUC) was also almost wholly Protestant.[4]
Before partition
The Orange Order was founded in 1795 in the village of Loughgall, a few miles from Drumcree, after the Battle of the Diamond.[6] Portadown and the wider north Armagh area is thus seen as the birthplace of Orangeism, with many of the Order's oldest lodges based there.[7]
The Order claims that its modern parade to Drumcree is held to commemorate the 1916 Battle of the Somme during World War I.[8] However, the march to Drumcree Church was originally and traditionally to celebrate the 1690 Battle of the Boyne. The Order's first ever marches were to celebrate this battle and they took place on 12 July 1796 in Portadown, Lurgan and Waringstown.[9] In July 1795, the year the Order formed, a Reverend Devine had held a "Boyne commemoration" sermon at Drumcree Church.[8] In his History of Ireland Vol I (published in 1809), the historian Francis Plowden described the events that followed this sermon:
[Reverend Devine] so worked up the minds of his audience, that upon retiring from service, on the different roads leading to their respective homes, they gave full scope to the anti-papistical zeal, with which he had inspired them... falling upon every Catholic they met, beating and bruising them without provocation or distinction, breaking the doors and windows of their houses, and actually murdering two unoffending Catholics in a bog. This unprovoked atrocity of the Protestants revived and redoubled religious rancour. The flame spread and threatened a contest of extermination...
The first official Orange parade to and from Drumcree Church was in July 1807. Each July since then, the Orangemen have paraded from the centre of town, along Obins Street, to Drumcree Church, and returned along Garvaghy Road.[7] In the early 19th century, the area between the town and church was mostly fields. Orangemen would regularly march through this area and past the Catholic Church.[10] In 1835, Armagh magistrate William Hancock (a Protestant) wrote:
For some time past the peaceable inhabitants of the parish of Drumcree have been insulted and outraged by large bodies of Orangemen parading the highways, playing party tunes, firing shots and using the most opprobrious epithets they could invent. [The Orangemen have gone] a considerable distance out of their way to pass a Catholic chapel on their march to Drumcree church.[8]
There was violence during the Drumcree parades in 1873, 1883, 1885, 1886, 1892, 1903, 1905, 1909 and 1917.[11][12]
After partition
After the partition of Ireland in 1921, the Northern Ireland Government's policy tended to favour Protestant and unionist parades. From 1922 to 1950, almost 100 parades and meetings were banned under the Special Powers Act – nearly all were Irish nationalist or republican.[13] Although violence died down during this period, there were clashes at the 1931 and 1950 Drumcree parades.[12] The Public Order Act 1951 exempted 'traditional' parades from having to ask police permission, but 'non-traditional' parades could be banned or re-routed without appeal. Again, the legislation tended to benefit Protestant parades.[14]
In the 1960s, a number of housing estates were built on the fields along Garvaghy Road.[8] In 1969, Northern Ireland was plunged into a conflict known as the The Troubles. Portadown, which had been religiously mixed, underwent major population shifts.[8] These new estates became almost wholly Catholic, while the rest of the town's estates became almost wholly Protestant.[8] After the outbreak of the conflict, the Grand Orange Lodge encouraged Orangemen to join the Northern Ireland security forces—namely the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR). The response from Orangemen was strong.[15]
1970s and 1980s: Obins Street
Each July there are five Protestant and loyalist parades that enter the mainly Catholic and Irish nationalist district:
- The "Drumcree Sunday" parade from the town centre, to Drumcree Church, and back again. This is the biggest of the parades.
- The 12th of July parade. This involves a morning march from Corcrain Orange Hall to the town centre. The marchers then travel to a bigger parade elsewhere, return to the town centre in the evening, and march back to Corcrain Orange Hall.
- The 13th of July parade. This follows the same format as the 12th parade.
1972
In 1972, during the first years of the Troubles, residents of Portadown's mainly Catholic enclave mobilized under the banner of 'Portadown Resistance Council'. They called for the marches to be re-routed away from Obins Street (see map), which was where most of the residents lived at the time.[16] The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) warned that it would "take action" if the Orange Order marched along Obins Street on 12 July.[16] The Ulster Defence Association (a then-legal loyalist vigilante and paramilitary group) threatened to take counter-action if anything was done to stop the march.[16][17] On Saturday 1 July, Catholics set up barricades at all roads leading into their area.[18]
On the morning of the march, Sunday 9 July, British troops and the police moved in to clear the area. They bulldozed the barricades and used CS gas and rubber bullets on those protesting against the march.[12][18] Once the area was secured, they allowed the Orangemen to march along the road which was lined by at least fifty UDA masked and uniformed members.[12][16][19][20] The UDA men then made their way to Drumcree and escorted the Orangemen back into town along Garvaghy Road.[18] With troops and police out in force, the march passed peacefully. However, three men were shot dead in Portadown later that day and overnight. A UDA member shot dead two civilians inside McCabe's Bar on High Street. One was the Catholic pub-owner Jack McCabe and the other a Protestant customer, William Cochrane. Both men were shot in the head from close range. The gunman was a former police officer. When sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders, there were shouts of "keep up the fight!" from about a dozen people in the court's public gallery.[21] Republican gunmen are believed to have shot dead a Protestant (Paul Beattie) in the early hours of the next morning in Churchill Park, a housing estate on Garvaghy Road.[22] On 12 July, under tight security, the Orangemen again marched along Obins Street, this time from Corcrain Orange Hall to the town centre.[18] On 15 July, a Catholic civilian was kidnapped, beaten and shot dead by the UDA in a Protestant area of the town. His body was found on 4 August in a drain near Watson Street. He had been a long-time member of St Patrick's Accordion Band based on Obins Street.[23]
Later in the month, the Provisional IRA detonated a bomb on Woodhouse Street, and loyalists detonated a bomb at a Catholic church.[12] In the Obins Street area there was also a gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, the UDA, and the security forces.[12] The UDA’s involvement in the 1972 parades made a lasting impression on Portadown's Catholics and Irish nationalists.[24]
1985
On 17 March (Saint Patrick's Day) the Saint Patrick's Accordion Band (a local band from the Catholic community) was given permission to parade a two-mile 'circuit' of the mainly Catholic area.[18][25] However, a small part of the two-mile route (about 150 yards of Park Road) was lined with Protestant-owned houses.[18] Arnold Hatch, the town's mayor and Ulster Unionist Party councillor, demanded that the march be banned.[18][25][26] When the police let it go ahead, Hatch and a small group of loyalists staged a sit-down protest on Park Road.[25] The police forced the band to turn around.[25][26] That evening, the band again tried to march the route. Although the protesters had gone, the police again stopped the band.[18] Following this incident, Portadown's Catholic and Irish nationalist community boosted their campaign to ban Orange marches from Obins Street.[26] Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) politician Bríd Rodgers described this incident as "pivotal" in the escalation of the parade dispute.[25]
Shortly before the Drumcree parade of 7 July, hundreds of nationalists staged a sit-down protest on Obins Street. Present was Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of former US president John F. Kennedy.[18] Among the 2000 Orangemen were unionist politicians Martin Smyth (Orange Grand Master), Harold McCusker and George Seawright. Police forcefully removed the protesters and allowed the march to continue.[26] At least one man was beaten unconscious by police and many were arrested.[18] The whole length of Garvaghy Road was lined with British Army and police armoured vehicles for the march's return leg.[18] On 12 July, eight Orange lodges met at Corcrain Orange Hall and tried to march through Obins Street to the town centre. When they were blocked by police, hundreds of loyalists gathered at both ends of the road and tried to push through police lines.[26] At least 52 police and 28 rioters were wounded, while about 50 Catholic-owned buildings were attacked.[26] After this, the police erected a barrier at each end of Obins Street.[26]
In July 1985, residents of the Catholic district formed a group called People Against Injustice, later renamed the Drumcree Faith & Justice Group (DFJG).[4] It quickly became the main group representing the residents. The DFJG sought to explain to Orangemen how residents felt about the marches and to improve cross-community relations.[27] It organized peaceful protests, issued newsletters and held discussions with the police. It also tried, unsuccessfully, to hold discussions with the Orangemen.[4] One of the key figures in this group was a Jesuit priest who, during one of his Sunday sermons in Portadown, suggested that anyone who voted for Sinn Féin should consider themselves "excommunicated".[18]
1986
The Apprentice Boys, a Protestant fraternity similar to the Orange Order, had planned to march along Garvaghy Road and through the town centre on the afternoon of 1 April (Easter Monday). On 30 March, the police decided to ban the march as it believed loyalist paramilitaries were planning to hijack it.[26] That evening, cars with loudspeakers toured Protestant areas and summoned people to gather in the town centre to contest the ban. At 1am, at least 3000 loyalists gathered in the town centre, forced their way past a small group of police, and began marching along Garvaghy Road.[18] Among them was Ian Paisley,[18] leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and Free Presbyterian Church. Residents claimed that some of the marchers were carrying guns[26] and were known to be members of the police and UDR.[18] Some of the marchers attacked houses along the route and residents claimed that the police did little or nothing to stop this.[18] There followed rioting between residents and the police. Some set up barricades for fear of further attacks.[18] There was a feeling among locals that the police had "mutinied" and refused to enforce the ban.[18] In the afternoon, Apprentice Boys bands tried to enter the town centre for their planned march. When the police blocked their path, a fierce riot erupted. However, after negotiations, the bands were allowed to march through the town centre with some restrictions. As the march passed the street leading to the nationalist district, loyalists attacked police lines. One of them, Keith White, was shot in the face by a plastic bullet and died in hospital on 14 April.[26][28]
On 6 July the Drumcree parade took place. An estimated 4000 soldiers and police were deployed in the town.[18] The police said that the Orange Order had allowed "known troublemakers" to take part in the march, contrary to a prior agreement.[29] Among the marchers was George Seawright, a unionist politician and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) member who had publicly proposed burning Catholics in ovens.[29] As the march entered the Catholic district, the police seized Seawright and other known militants. Orangemen attacked the police with stones and other missiles.[29] Along Obins Street and Garvaghy Road, locals were prevented from leaving their homes.[26] Both Catholics and Protestants attacked police, injuring at least 27.[26]
The 12 July march into the town centre was blocked from Obins Street for the second year. Instead, police escorted the march along Garvaghy Road without any bands.[26] Although there was little violence on Garvaghy Road, loyalists later rioted with police in the town centre and tried to smash through the barrier leading to Obins Street.[26]
1987 and 1988
In 1987 the Public Order Act was repealed by the Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1987, which removed the special status of 'traditional' parades.[30] This meant that, after 1986, Orange marches were effectively banned from Obins Street indefinitely.[26][31] The July 1987 march was re-routed and 3000 soldiers and 1000 police were sent to keep order.[31] In the minds of the Orangemen, sacrificing the Obins Street leg meant that they would be guaranteed the Garvaghy Road leg.[31] Although the Garvaghy Road leg had caused trouble before, it was less populated than Obins Street at the time.
In June 1988 the Drumcree Faith & Justice Group (DFJG)—the group representing the Catholic/Irish nationalist residents—planned a march to the town centre to highlight what it saw as "double-standards" in the police's handling of nationalist and loyalist parades. It asked permission from the police, saying there would be only 30 marchers and they would carry no flags or banners. They were denied permission.[18]
1990s and 2000s: Garvaghy Road
Although a few years passed without serious conflict over the Drumcree parades, both sides remained unhappy with the situation. Orangemen took the new route each year, but continued to apply for marches along Obins Street.[32] Meanwhile, residents of Garvaghy Road and the surrounding Catholic district (see map) remained unhappy about what they called "triumphalist" Orange marches through their area. They made their opposition known in a number of ways: through the tenants' associations that represented each housing estate, through the Drumcree Faith & Justice Group (DFJG), and through local politicians. A 1993 survey of people living on Garvaghy Road found that 95% of them were against Orange marches in the area.[18]
Lead-up to July 1995
In 1994, the Provisional IRA and loyalist paramilitaries called ceasefires.
In May 1995 the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC) was formed, comprising representatives from the DFJG and the tenants' associations.[33] Its main goal was to divert Orange marches away from Garvaghy Road through peaceful means. It held peaceful protests, petitioned the police and government ministers, and tried to draw media attention to the dispute.[4] The GRRC held regular public meetings with residents. There were usually about 12 representatives on the committee at any one time.[33] According to one of its members, Joanne Tennyson, "Although the GRRC could speak to anyone they wanted, at the end of the day no-one in the committee had the right to say we would do anything, not even [...] the spokesman. The community had to agree as a whole and that was the purpose of holding public meetings".[33] The GRRC's first secretary and spokesman was Eamon Stack, a Jesuit priest and DFJG member who had lived in the area since 1993. Fr Stack emphasized that the GRRC was non-sectarian and was not connected to any political parties. He would remain its spokesman until after July 1997.[33]
By the mid-1990s, the population of Portadown was about 70% Protestant and 30% Catholic. There were three Orange halls in the town and an estimated 40 Protestant and loyalist marches each summer.[34]
1995
On Sunday 9 July 1995, the Orangemen marched to Drumcree Church, held their church service, and then began marching towards the Garvaghy Road. However, hundreds of Catholic residents were holding a sit-down protest on Garvaghy Road to block the march.[35] Although the march was legal and the protest was not, police stopped the march from continuing. The Orangemen refused to take an alternate route, announcing that they would stay at Drumcree until they were allowed to continue. The Orangemen refused to negotiate with the residents' group and the Mediation Network was called upon to intercede.[4] The police and local politicians were also involved in trying to resolve the deadlock.
Meanwhile, ~10,000 Orangemen and supporters had gathered at Drumcree and were engaged in a standoff with ~1,000 police.[36] During this standoff, loyalists continuously threw missiles at the police and tried to break through the police blockade; police responded by firing 24 plastic bullets.[36] In support of the Orangeman, loyalists blocked numerous roads across Northern Ireland, and sealed off the port of Larne.[36] There was violence in some Protestant areas.[36] On the evening of Monday 10 July, Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party leader) and David Trimble (Ulster Unionist Party leader) held a rally at Drumcree. Afterwards, they gathered a number of Orangemen and tried to push through the police line, but were taken away by officers.[36]
By the morning of Tuesday 11 July, a compromise was reached. The Orangemen would be allowed to march along Garvaghy Road on condition that they did so silently and without accompanying bands. Ronnie Flanagan (Deputy Chief Constable of the police) told the GRRC that residents should peacefully remove themselves from the road because "an angry scene between police and protesters could worsen the Ormeau marching dispute and even destabilise the ceasefires". When GRRC member Breandán Mac Cionnaith asked protesters to clear the road, some heckled him and refused. Flanagan was told there would be a better chance of the protesters moving if they knew there would be no march there next year. Flanagan replied that "there was no question of marches going where there was no consent from the community". The residents were then persuaded to clear the road. This was all confirmed by the Mediation Network.[37] The Orangemen then marched along the road with Paisley and Trimble at the head of the march. As they reached the end of Garvaghy Road, Paisley and Trimble held their hands in the air in what appeared to be a gesture of triumph.[36] Trimble claims that he only took Paisley's hand to prevent the DUP leader from taking all the media attention.[38]
Both sides were deeply unhappy with the events of July 1995. Residents were angered that the parade had gone ahead and at what they saw as unionist triumphalism, while Orangemen and their supporters were angered that their parade had been held up by an illegal protest. Some Orangemen formed a group called Spirit of Drumcree (SoD) to defend their "right to march". At a SoD meeting in Belfast's Ulster Hall one of the platform speakers said, to applause, that
Sectarian means you belong to a particular sect or organisation. I belong to the Orange Institution. Bigot means you look after the people you belong to. That's what I'm doing. I'm a sectarian bigot and proud of it.[39]
1996
On Saturday 6 July 1996 the Chief Constable, Sir Hugh Annesley, stated that the parade would be banned from Garvaghy Road.[40] Police checkpoints and barricades were set up on all routes into the nationalist area.
On Sunday 7 July the march made its way to Drumcree Church and, after the church service, was again blocked by police barricades. At least 4,000 Orangemen and loyalist supporters began another standoff. That afternoon, Reverend Martin Smyth (then Orange Grand Master) arrived at Drumcree and announced that there could be no compromise.[41] Over the next three days, buses full of Orangemen and their supporters arrived in Portadown, bringing traffic to a standstill.[42] By Wednesday night the number of Orangemen and loyalists at Drumcree had risen to 10,000.[41] Again, they pelted the police with missiles and tried to break through the blockade, while police responded with plastic bullets.[41] Loyalists brought an armour-plated bulldozer to Drumcree, threatening to storm the police line.[42] Throughout Northern Ireland, loyalists blocked hundreds of roads, clashed with the police, and attacked or intimidated Catholics and nationalists. Many towns and villages were blockaded, either completely or for much of the daytime. Several Catholic families were forced to flee their homes in Belfast due to loyalist intimidation.[43] Human Rights Watch said that the police failed to remove these illegal roadblocks and had "abandoned its traditional policing function in some areas".[44] Loyalists also targeted the homes of police officers, many of whom were on duty at Drumcree. During the disorder, thousands of extra British troops were sent to Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of troops deployed to 18,500.[41]
On the night of 7 July, Catholic taxi-driver Michael McGoldrick was shot dead near Lurgan by the Mid Ulster Brigade of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group.[45] It is believed the killing was ordered by the brigade's leader, Billy Wright, from Portadown.[8] Wright was frequently seen at Drumcree in the company of Harold Gracey, head of the Portadown Orange Lodge.[8] He also held a meeting with David Trimble, leader of the UUP.[43] Members of the brigade smuggled homemade weaponry to Drumcree, apparently unhindered by the Orangemen.[8] Allegedly, the brigade also had plans to drive petrol tankers into the Garvaghy area and blow them up.[46]
On Wednesday 10 July, the police reported that, over the previous four days of loyalist protests, there had been:
- 100 incidents of intimidation
- 758 attacks on the police
- 90 civilians injured
- 50 police injured
- 662 plastic bullets fired by the police and
- 156 arrests made[41]
Shortly before noon on Thursday 11 July, the Chief Constable reversed his decision and allowed the Orangemen to march along Garvaghy Road. The residents' group had not been consulted on this and rioting erupted as police in armoured vehicles flooded the Garvaghy area and batoned hundreds of protesters off the Garvaghy Road.[41] About 1,200 Orangemen then marched down the road while residents were hemmed into their estates by riot police.[41] There was outrage in the nationalist community, who believed that the police had "surrendered" to loyalist violence and the threat of violence.[41] An article in the Irish News concluded that "the police did not have the will to impose the rule of law on the Orange Order and loyalists".[42] The Chief Constable said he believed the situation could no longer be contained. He claimed the crowd at Drumcree was expected to rise to 60,000 or 70,000 that night and that it would have broken through the defences and attacked the nationalist area.[41] Nationalists argued that the police did nothing to stop the thousands of loyalists from gathering.[42]
Rioting erupted in nationalist areas of Lurgan, Armagh, Belfast and Derry.[41] In Derry, 22 protestors were seriously injured and one, Dermot McShane, died after being run-over by a British Army armoured vehicle.[41] Rioting continued throughout the week, during which time the police fired a total of 6002 plastic bullets, 5000 of which were directed at nationalists.[41] The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), who had sent members to observe the situation, condemned this "completely indiscriminate" use of plastic bullets.[41] Human Rights Watch also accused the police of using "excessive force".[44] Following the events, leaders of both Sinn Féin and the SDLP stated that nationalists had completely lost faith in the police as an impartial police force.[41]
In August 1996, Billy Wright and his Portadown unit of the UVF were 'stood down' by the UVF leadership for breaking the ceasefire. The UVF warned that it would "execute" Wright if he did not leave Northern Ireland. He ignored the warning, and a large rally was held in Portadown in support of him. Harold Gracey (head of the Portadown Orange Lodge) and William McCrea (a DUP politician) attended the rally and made speeches in support of Wright.[47] Along with most of his Portadown unit, Wright then formed a splinter group called the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF).
Following the events of July 1996, many Catholics and nationalists began boycotting businesses run by Orangemen who had been involved in the standoff.[41]
1997
Weeks before the July 1997 march, Secretary of State Mo Mowlam privately decided to let the march proceed along Garvaghy Road.[48] However, in the days leading up to the march, she insisted that no decision had been made.[48] Garvaghy Road residents applied to hold a festival on the day of the march. When this was banned by the police, local women set up a peace camp along the Garvaghy Road.[44][48] On Thursday 3 July, the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) threatened to kill Catholic civilians if the march was not allowed to proceed[48] and the Ulster Unionist Party threatened to withdraw from the Northern Ireland peace process.[49] The following day, sixty families had to be evacuated from their homes on Garvaghy Road after a loyalist bomb threat.[50]
In the days leading up to the march, thousands of British troops were flown to Northern Ireland.[48] Less than twelve hours before the Sunday 6 July march, the authorities still did not say whether it would be blocked. Then, at 3:30AM that morning, 1500 police and soldiers swept into the nationalist area in armoured vehicles and took control of the Garvaghy Road.[48] About 100 residents managed to get to the road and stage a sit-down protest.[51] They were forcefully removed by the police, who were then pelted with stones and petrol bombs as they pushed residents further back from the road.[48] Rosemary Nelson—a prominent human rights lawyer and the GRRC's legal advisor—was physically and verbally abused by police officers.[51] From this point onward, all residents were prevented from leaving their housing estates and accessing the Garvaghy Road.[48] As residents were also unable to reach the Catholic church, the local priests were forced to hold an open-air mass in front of a line of soldiers and armoured personnel carriers.[48]
The Chief Constable said he had allowed the march to continue because of the threat to Catholic civilians by loyalist paramilitaries.[48] About 1,200 Orangemen marched along Garvaghy Road at noon that day.[44] After the march passed, the security forces began withdrawing from the area. They were attacked by hundreds of nationalists with stones, bricks and petrol bombs. The security forces fired about 40 plastic bullets, and about 18 people were taken to hospital.[48] As news from Portadown emerged, violence erupted in several nationalist areas of Northern Ireland. The Provisional IRA launched numerous gun and bomb attacks on the security forces. Nationalists also attacked the security forces and blocked roads with burning vehicles. There were protests against the police and Orange marches, and a number of Orange halls were burnt. The widespread violence lasted until 10 July, when the Orange Order decided unilaterally to re-route or cancel several marches. By the end of the violence, more than 100 civilians and 60 police officers had been injured, while 117 people had been arrested. There had been 815 attacks on the security forces, 1,506 petrol bombs thrown and 402 hijackings. The police had fired 2,500 plastic bullets.[48]
In 1997, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams told an RTÉ journalist of his party's involvement in the dispute:
Ask any activist in the north, ‘did Drumcree happen by accident?', and he will tell you, ‘no'. Three years of work on the lower Ormeau Road, Portadown and parts of Fermanagh and Newry, Armagh and in Bellaghy and up in Derry. Three years of work went into creating that situation and fair play to those people who put the work in. They are the type of scene changes that we have to focus on and develop and exploit.[52][53][54]
After July 1997, GRRC member Brendan McKenna (Irish: Breandán Mac Cionnaith) replaced Eamon Stack as the group's spokesman. Mac Cionnaith had been convicted and imprisoned for his involvement in a 1981 IRA bomb attack on Portadown's Royal British Legion hall. He was released in 1984.[8][33]
This was the last time that the Orange Order was allowed to march on Garvaghy Road.[55]
1998
Early in 1998 the Public Processions Act was passed, establishing the Parades Commission. The Commission was now responsible for deciding what route contentious marches should take. On 29 June 1998, the Parades Commission decided to ban the march from Garvaghy Road.[56]
On Friday 3 July about 1,000 soldiers and 1,000 police were deployed in Portadown.[56] The soldiers built large barricades (made of steel, concrete and barbed wire) across all roads leading into the nationalist area. In the fields between Drumcree Church and the nationalist area they dug a trench, fourteen feet wide,[57] which was then lined with rows of barbed wire.[56] Soldiers also occupied the Catholic Drumcree College, St John the Baptist Primary School, and some houses near the barricades.[58]
On Sunday 5 July the Orangemen marched to Drumcree Church and stated that they would remain there until they were allowed to proceed.[56] About 10,000 Orangemen and loyalists arrived at Drumcree from across Northern Ireland.[59] A loyalist group calling itself "Portadown Action Command" issued a statement which read:
As from midnight on Friday 10 July 1998, any driver of any vehicle supplying any goods of any kind to the Gavaghy Road will be summarily executed.[8]
Over the next ten days, there were loyalist protests and violence across Northern Ireland in response to the ban. Loyalists blocked roads and attacked the security forces as well as Catholic homes, businesses, schools and churches.[59] On 7 July, the mainly-Catholic village of Dunloy was "besieged" by over 1,000 Orangemen. The County Antrim Grand Lodge said that its members had "taken up positions" and "held" the village.[59] On 8 July, eight blast bombs were thrown at Catholic homes in the Collingwood area of Lurgan.[59] There were also sustained attacks on the security forces at Drumcree and attempts to break through the blockade.[59] On 9 July, the security forces at Drumcree were attacked with gunfire and blast bombs; they responded with plastic bullets.[59] The police recorded 2,561 "public order incidents" throughout Northern Ireland,[56] including:[56]
- 615 attacks on the security forces, which left 76 police offices injured
- 24 shooting incidents
- 45 blast bombs thrown
- 632 petrol bombs thrown
- 837 plastic bullets fired by the security forces
- 144 houses and 165 other buildings attacked (the vast majority owned by Catholics and/or nationalists)
- 467 vehicles damaged and 178 vehicles hijacked, and
- 284 people arrested
On Sunday 12 July at 4:30am, Jason (aged 8), Mark (aged 9) and Richard Quinn (aged 10) were burnt to death when their home was firebombed by loyalists.[56] The boys' mother was a Catholic, and their home was in a mainly-Protestant part of Ballymoney. Following the murders, William Bingham (County Grand Chaplain of Armagh and member of the Orange Order negotiating team) said that "walking down the Garvaghy Road would be a hollow victory, because it would be in the shadow of three coffins of little boys who wouldn't even know what the Orange Order is about". He said that the Order had lost control of the situation and that "no road is worth a life".[60] However he later apologized for implying that the Order was in any way responsible for the deaths.[61] The murders provoked widespread anger and calls for the Order to end its protest at Drumcree. Although the number of protesters at Drumcree dropped greatly, the Portadown lodges voted unanimously to continue their standoff.[56]
On Wednesday 15 July at 6:30am the police began a search operation in the fields at Drumcree. A number of loyalist weapons were uncovered in the search, including: a home-made machine gun, spent and live ammunition, explosive devices, and two crossbows with more than a dozen home-made explosive arrows.[56][59]
1999
In the year after July 1998, the Orange Order and GRRC tried to resolve the dispute through "proximity talks" using go-betweens. The Orangemen refused to talk directly to the GRRC. Some senior Portadown Orangemen claim that they had been promised a parade on Garvaghy Road later that year if they could control things on the traditional parading dates.[62]
- March to June
On 14 March 1999, the Parades Commission said that the upcoming march would again be banned from Garvaghy Road. The following day the GRRC's legal advisor, Rosemary Nelson, was assassinated in Lurgan by loyalists.[63]
In April 1999, Portadown loyalists threatened to mount a picket of St John's Catholic Church at the top of Garvaghy Road. On 29 May a 'junior' Orange march passed near Garvaghy Road. There were clashes following the march with 13 police officers and four civilians hurt. The police fired 50 plastic bullets during the clashes.[63]
- July
The 1999 Drumcree march took place on Sunday 4 July. The security forces had again blocked all roads leading into the nationalist area with large steel, concrete and barbed wire barricades. Rows of barbed wire were also stretched across the fields at Drumcree. There, loyalists threw missiles at police and soldiers, but there was less violence than the year before.[63] The barricades were removed on 14 July.[63]
On 28 July, a 15-year-old Catholic boy was attacked as Orangemen removed their arch at the end of Garvaghy Road. He was allegedly beaten by loyalists within yards of two police landrovers.[64] On 31 July, a loyalist wielding an AK-47 and a handgun walked along Craigwell Avenue (a street of Catholic-owned houses) firing shots. He was wrestled to the ground and arrested. In August, the street was evacuated after a hoax bomb alert, and the houses were attacked with breeze blocks.[65]
Also that year, the GRRC published a book detailing the history of Orange parades in the area. The book was called Garvaghy: A Community Under Siege.
2000
- April to June
In April 2000, a newspaper reported that Portadown Orangemen had threatened British Prime Minister Tony Blair, saying that if that year's march was banned from Garvaghy Road it would prove to be his "Bloody Sunday".[66] The following month, almost 200 masked loyalists attacked Catholic-owned houses on Craigwell Avenue after assembling at Carlton Street Orange Hall. Allegedly, police landrovers were nearby but did not intervene.[67] On 27 May, the nationalist area was sealed-off so that a 'junior' Orange parade could march along the lower end of Garvaghy Road. The march included men in paramilitary uniform.[67]
On 31 May, a children's cross-community concert at St John's Catholic Church was disrupted by Portadown Oangemen beating Lambeg drums, allegedly trying to drown it out. Present at the concert were Secretary of State Peter Mandelson and UUP leader (and Orangeman) David Trimble.[67] After the concert, teachers, parents, children and guests held a reception at the Protestant Portadown College. A 300-strong loyalist mob hurled missiles and sectarian abuse while preventing families from leaving the College. The security forces were deployed but did not disperse the mob or make arrests.[67] On 7 June, St John's Catholic Church was set alight by arsonists.[68]
On 16 June, Catholic workers at Denny's factory in Portadown walked-out after placards carrying sectarian slogans were erected near the main entrance. The week before, loyalists had thrown missiles at Catholics leaving the factory. The placards were removed shortly after.[68] Later in the month, loyalists sent death threats to workers who were reinforcing the security barrier (or "peace line") along Corcrain Road. The work stopped, leaving the nationalist area vulnerable to attack.[68]
- July
In July, it was revealed that members of Neo-Nazi group Combat 18 were travelling from England to join the Orangemen at Drumcree. They were given shelter by LVF members in Portadown and Tandragee.[69] That month, Portadown Orangeman Ivan Hewitt (who sported Neo-Nazi tattoos) warned in a TV documentary that it may be time for loyalists to "bring their war to Britain".[70]
The 2000 Drumcree march took place on Sunday 2 July. It was again banned from Garvaghy Road and the nationalist area was sealed-off with barricades. Speaking after the march was stopped, Orange 'District Master' Harold Gracey called for protests across Northern Ireland.[71] A prominent leader of the protesters, Stoneyford Orangeman Mark Harbinson, a child sex abuser[72] who was associated with the paramilitary Orange Volunteers, proclaimed that "the war begins today".[71] On Monday 3 July a crowd of over fifty loyalists, led by UDA commander Johnny Adair, appeared at Drumcree with a banner bearing "Shankill Road UFF" [Ulster Freedom Fighters]. In the Corcrain area, LVF gunmen fired a volley of shots in the air for Adair and a cheering crowd.[71] On Tuesday 4 July, security forces used water cannon against loyalist protesters at the Drumcree barricade. This was their first deployment in Northern Ireland for over 30 years.[71]
In an interview on 7 July, Harold Gracey refused to condemn the violence linked to the protests, saying "Gerry Adams doesn't condemn violence so I'll not".[71] On 9 July, the police warned that loyalists had threatened to "kill a Catholic a day" until the Orangemen were allowed to march along Garvaghy Road.[70] Two days later, a group of 150–200 loyalists ordered all shops in Portadown's town centre to shut. Along with another group, they then tried to march on Garvaghy Road from both ends, but were held back by the police. That night, 21 police officers were hurt during clashes with loyalists.[70]
On 14 July, Portadown Orangemen's calls for another day of widespread protest went unheeded as the Armagh and Grand Lodges refused to support their calls. Businesses remained open and only a handful of roads were blocked for a short time. The security barriers were removed and soldiers returned to barracks.[70]
2001 onward
Since July 1998, the Orangemen have applied to march the traditional route every Sunday of the year – both the outward leg via Obins Street (which has been banned since 1986) and the return leg via Garvaghy Road.[32][73][74][75] They have also held a small protest at Drumcree Church every Sunday since then.[76] Their proposals have been rejected by the Parades Commission.
In February 2001, loyalists held protests on the lower Garvaghy Road as part of the run-up to "day 1000" of the standoff. The GRRC said that up to 300 people, some masked and armed with clubs, intimidated people living on Garvaghy Road. Some protesters also attacked a car with four women inside.[77]
There was further violence in May 2001. On 5 May, 300 Orangemen and supporters tried to march on to Garvaghy Road but were stopped by police. There were some scuffles between Orangemen and police officers. District Master Harold Gracey drew controversy when he said to the police officers: "We all know where you come from...you come from the Protestant community, the vast majority of you come from the Protestant community and it is high time that you supported your own Protestant people".[78] On 12 May there were clashes between loyalists and nationalists on Woodhouse Street. On 27 May there were clashes between nationalists and the police after a junior Orange march on the lower Garvaghy Road.[78]
Four days before the July 2001 Drumcree march, 200 supporters and members of the UDA/UFF rallied at Drumcree. The Portadown Orange Lodge claimed that it was powerless to stop such people from gathering and that they could not be held responsible for their actions. Nevertheless, David Jones (the Lodge's spokesman) said that he welcomed any support. Bríd Rogers, a local SDLP politician, called this "a further example" of the Orangemen's "double standards". She said that the Orangemen would not speak to the GRRC because of Mac Cionnaith's "terrorist past", yet they are "quite happy to associate with people who have a terrorist present".[79] The march passed off peacefully under a heavy security presence.[80]
Since 2001 Drumcree has been relatively calm, with outside support for the Portadown lodges' campaign declining and the violence lessening greatly. Mac Cionnaith said that he believes the conflict is essentially over.[81] The Orange Order continues to campaign for the right to march on Garvaghy Road.
Map
Routes of the Protestant parades before they were banned from Obins Street (A) in 1986.
Red line: Route taken by Orangemen on the Sunday before 12 July; from their Carlton Street Hall (D) under the railway bridge (C) along Obins Street (A) to Drumcree Church (F) and back along Garvaghy Road (B).
Blue line: Route taken on 12 July; from Corcrain Hall (E) along Obins Street (A) and under the railway bridge (C).
Green areas are largely nationalist/Catholic.
Orange areas are largely unionist/Protestant.
References
- ^ "Drumcree tension eases". BBC News. 13 May 1999.
- ^ "Big changes in character of Drumcree dispute". Irish Independent. 3 July 1998.
- ^ "Anger as arch on Garvaghy Road is painted". Portadown Times (17 July 2009)
- ^ a b c d e f Mulholland, Peter. "Drumcree: A Struggle for Recognition". Irish Journal of Sociology, Vol. 9. 1999.
- ^ BBC (6 June 2007). "Portadown edging towards change". BBC News. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Portadown District LOL No.1". Portadown District LOL No.1. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ a b Dominic Bryan. Drumcree and the "Right to March": Orangeism, Ritual and Politics in Northern Ireland, in T G Fraser, ed., The Irish Parading Tradition: Following the Drum, Houndmills 2000, p.194.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k McKay, Susan. Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People - Portadown. Blackstaff Press (2000).
- ^ McCormack, W J. The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture. Wiley-Blackwell, 2001. Page 317.
- ^ Bryan, p.195.
- ^ a b c http://orangecitadel.blogspot.com/
- ^ a b c d e f Bryan, Fraser, Dunn. Political Rituals: Loyalist Parades in Portadown - Part 3 - Portadown and its Orange Tradition. CAIN
- ^ Laura K. Dohohue, 'Regulating Northern Ireland: The Special Powers Acts, 1922-1972', The Historical Journal, 41, 4 (1998), p.1093.
- ^ Neil Jarman and Dominic Bryan, 'Green Parades in an Orange State: Nationalist and Republican Commemorations and Demonstrations from Partition to the Troubles, 1920-1970', in T.G. Fraser, ed., The Irish Parading Tradition: Following the Drum, London and New York, 2000, p.102.
- ^ "Memorial to honour the Orange victims". Portadown Times. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d Kaufmann, Eric P. The Orange Order: a contemporary Northern Irish history. Oxford University Press, 2007. p 154.
- ^ Belfast Telegraph, 11 July 1972, p.1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Mulholland, Peter. Two-Hundred Years in the Citadel. 2010.
- ^ Belfast Telegraph, 12 July 1972, p.4.
- ^ Bryan, Dominic. Orange parades: the politics of ritual, tradition, and control. Pluto Press, 2000. Page 92.
- ^ McKittrick, David. Lost Lives. Mainstream, 1999. p.219
- ^ "Malcolm Sutton, ''An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland'' - 1972". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ McKittrick, p.225
- ^ Mervyn Jess. The Orange Order. Dublin, 2007. p.101
- ^ a b c d e Kaufmann. p 155.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bryan, Fraser, Dunn. Political Rituals: Loyalist Parades in Portadown - Part 4 - 1985 & 1986. CAIN
- ^ Organizations: M, Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
- ^ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ a b c The Calgary Herald, 7 July 1986
- ^ "Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1987". Opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ a b c Kaufmann. p 158.
- ^ a b "Orangemen accuse Parades Commission of 'talking through its hat'" - Portadown Times - 9 March 2010
- ^ a b c d e The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry Report (23 May 2011), pp.71-74
- ^ The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry Report (23 May 2011), p.70
- ^ Mervyn Jess, The Orange Order, Dublin, 2007, p.104.
- ^ a b c d e f "CAIN - Events in Drumcree - July 1995". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ Statement by the Mediation Network on their role in negotiations at Drumcree, 1995. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
- ^ Jess, pp.110-1.
- ^ Jess, p.112.
- ^ "CAIN - Statement by the Chief Constable on his decision to re-route the Drumcree Parade - 1996". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 6 July 1996. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "CAIN - Events in Drumcree - 1996". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Questions following U-turn". Irish News, 13 July 1996. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ a b Chronology of the Conflict: 1996. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
- ^ a b c d Chronology of the Conflict: 1997. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
- ^ Jess, p.114.
- ^ Coogan, Tim. The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal 1966-1995 and the Search for Peace. Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Page 517.
- ^ Sydney Elliott & William D Flackes. Conflict in Northern Ireland: An Encyclopedia. Abc-Clio Incorporated, 1999. p.92.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "CAIN - Events in Drumcree - July 1997". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ Jess, p.130.
- ^ "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1997". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ a b The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry Report (23 May 2011), pp.86-88
- ^ Ruth Dudley Edwards, The Faithful Tribe, p.362.
- ^ Hansard (Col 216), 27 October 2009
- ^ "Orange Order troublemakers need to be disciplined". Irish Independent. 14 July 2002. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ Daugherty Rasnic, Carol (2003). Northern Ireland: can Sean and John live in peace? Brandylane Publishers Inc, p. 54. ISBN 1-883911-55-9
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "CAIN - Events in Drumcree - 1998". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ Kaufmann, Eric P. The Orange Order: a contemporary Northern Irish history. Oxford University Press, 2007. Page 198.
- ^ "''An Phoblacht'' - Garvaghy Stands Firm (9 July 1998)". Anphoblacht.com. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Chronology of the Conflict: 1998. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
- ^ Jess, pp.134-5.
- ^ Jess, p.136.
- ^ Jess, p.139.
- ^ a b c d "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict: 1999". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ Sectarian attacks: May/June/July 1999. Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ Sectarian attacks: August 1999. Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ Sectarian attacks: April 2000. Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ a b c d Sectarian attacks: May 2000. Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ a b c Sectarian attacks: June 2000. Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ McDonald, Henry (2 July 2000). "English fascists to join loyalists at Drumcree". London: The Observer. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d Sectarian attacks: 8-14 July 2000. Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ a b c d e Sectarian attacks: 1-7 July 2000. Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ "Sex offence loyalist abandons bid to appeal convictions", Irish News 12 December 2012
- ^ "Orange plan Christmas Day parade at Drumcree" - Portadown Times - 30 September 2005
- ^ ""Orangemen seek justice in Drumcree march issue" - ''Portadown Times'' - 2 November 2007". Portadowntimes.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
- ^ "Police slammed but parade goes off peacefully" - Portadown Times - 10 July 2009
- ^ "Orangemen sceptical over parading report" - Portadown Times - 12 March 2010
- ^ Sectarian attacks: February 2001, Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ a b Sectarian attacks: May 2001, Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ Sectarian attacks: July 2001 (a), Pat Finucane Centre
- ^ Chronology of the Conflict: July 2001, CAIN
- ^ Jess, p.143.
Further reading
- The Parades Commission's Determination in Relation to the Drumcree Church Parade on 5 July 1998
- Dominic Bryan, "Drumcree: An Introduction to Parade Disputes" from his book Orange Parades: The Politics of Ritual, Tradition and Control
- P. Mulholland, "Drumcree: A Struggle for Recognition" from the Irish Journal of Sociology Vol. 9.
- Susan McKay, "Portadown: Bitter Harvest", from her book Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People
- Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN): Developments at Drumcree, 1995-2000
Websites of organisations directly involved in the dispute
- Archived version of the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition website
- Portadown District LOL No. 1
- Parades Commission
See also