Orange Marches

[Bergon]

Once again, here in the UK, the Northern Ireland marching season is upon us. As per usual the Protestant Orange orders want to march through Catholic areas. Because the police have said, no, they are rioting. I don’t think there should be Catholic or Protestant areas in the city of Belfast but the fact is there are. Why do the Orange orders want to march through Catholic areas knowing full well this antagonises the Catholic community? Why would any Christian organisation want to cause such harm and disruption to their community?

 

[rfournier103]

Once again, here in the UK, the Northern Ireland marching season is upon us. As per usual the Protestant Orange orders want to march through Catholic areas. Because the police have said, no, they are rioting. I don’t think there should be Catholic or Protestant areas in the city of Belfast but the fact is there are. Why do the Orange orders want to march through Catholic areas knowing full well this antagonises the Catholic community? Why would any Christian organisation want to cause such harm and disruption to their community?

Because they want to cause trouble. They want to make the Catholics angry, make the Catholics lose their cool, get violent… and then the CATHOLICS are the bad guys!

The Orangemen will say; “We’re just marching here… Minding our own business and expressing our devotion to Reformed Worship/Theology… And then those Catholics attacked us!!!”

They do it for the same reasons the Ku Klux Klan march through Jewish and black neighborhoods.

 

[Critical_Mass]

They should be outlawed and the queen kicked out of Northern Ireland.

 

[Allegra]

Once again, here in the UK, the Northern Ireland marching season is upon us. As per usual the Protestant Orange orders want to march through Catholic areas. Because the police have said, no, they are rioting. I don’t think there should be Catholic or Protestant areas in the city of Belfast but the fact is there are. Why do the Orange orders want to march through Catholic areas knowing full well this antagonises the Catholic community? Why would any Christian organisation want to cause such harm and disruption to their community?

Do they actually have neighborhoods that are officially segragated by religion? Or do people just like to stay in their traditional area even if they aren’t required to. If you live in a city where people are required to live in a certain place based on religion, I wouldn’t be surprised if ANYTHING happened!

 

[tabycat]

Because they want to cause trouble. They want to make the Catholics angry, make the Catholics lose their cool, get violent… and then the CATHOLICS are the bad guys!

The Orangemen will say; “We’re just marching here… Minding our own business and expressing our devotion to Reformed Worship/Theology… And then those Catholics attacked us!!!”

They do it for the same reasons the Ku Klux Klan march through Jewish and black neighborhoods.

I agree. I think that the Orange should have never came and the English should have left four hundred years age.

:harp::knight2::irish1::shamrock2:

 

[triumphguy]

They should be outlawed and the queen kicked out of Northern Ireland.

They can’t be outlawed - they are half the population. And the Queen isn’t in Northern Ireland

Both sides (nominally) catholic republicans, and (nominally) protestant unionists have been guilty of atrocious acts. Neither side is blameless.

As a Catholic I tend to have more empathy for the republicans: but the IRA is not a catholic organization - it is a Marxist terrorist organization, with ties to drugs, prostitution, gun running and bank robbery, and which preys on Catholics nearly as much as it fight the “prots.”

And Ian Paisley is not a protestant leader, but a hate filled bigot who spews sectarian violence.

And the RUC is not a community police force, but a para military unit that supports the unionists.

What both sides forget is that their kids need to have a future, and I think Obama (reprehensible as he is in most cases) is right: all kids should go to the same school so they are forced to mingle and get to k now each other as equals.

I happen to have Orange and Green blood inside me: my grandfathers were both protestant. One great grandfather was the grand master of an orange lodge. Both my grandmothers were Irish. Both my grandfathers died Catholic - spurned by their families for life.

Like all sectarian violence the just causes have been lost in the betrayals, the atrocities, the senseless killing, the torture and criminality, and now belong in the past.

 

[triumphguy]

I agree. I think that the Orange should have never came and the English should have left four hundred years age.

:harp::knight2::irish1::shamrock2:

Well they did, so…

and I bet the native population of North America thinks the same of us Europeans that live here.

 

[triumphguy]

Do they actually have neighborhoods that are officially segragated by religion? Or do people just like to stay in their traditional area even if they aren’t required to. If you live in a city where people are required to live in a certain place based on religion, I wouldn’t be surprised if ANYTHING happened!

Not officially - but if you like your kneecaps then you stay to your own area.

 

[SAVINGRACE]

Why can’t they just march down the main street of town like all other civilised people?

Don’t understand the mentality that they just HAVE to march down the Catholic neighbourhoods.

I’m glad they have been stopped and then to stoop to rioting because they didn’t get their way. That is just childish.

 

[Seira]

“How long must we sing this song” - U2

 

[Indifferently]

Politics.

Northern Ireland is a British territory and the orange boys just want to make sure everybody knows it. Especially important now given the surrender to the IRA by Blair, and moves by disloyal facts to have NI become part of the Irish republic.

It’s now illegal to fly the British flag outside government buildings in Belfast for most of the year. That is a disgrace.

 

[Picky_Picky]

They can’t be outlawed - they are half the population. And the Queen isn’t in Northern Ireland

Both sides (nominally) catholic republicans, and (nominally) protestant unionists have been guilty of atrocious acts. Neither side is blameless.

As a Catholic I tend to have more empathy for the republicans: but the IRA is not a catholic organization - it is a Marxist terrorist organization, with ties to drugs, prostitution, gun running and bank robbery, and which preys on Catholics nearly as much as it fight the “prots.”

And Ian Paisley is not a protestant leader, but a hate filled bigot who spews sectarian violence.

And the RUC is not a community police force, but a para military unit that supports the unionists.

What both sides forget is that their kids need to have a future, and I think Obama (reprehensible as he is in most cases) is right: all kids should go to the same school so they are forced to mingle and get to k now each other as equals.

I happen to have Orange and Green blood inside me: my grandfathers were both protestant. One great grandfather was the grand master of an orange lodge. Both my grandmothers were Irish. Both my grandfathers died Catholic - spurned by their families for life.

Like all sectarian violence the just causes have been lost in the betrayals, the atrocities, the senseless killing, the torture and criminality, and now belong in the past.

I sympathise a lot with what you say, but add these points:

Most of Provisional IRA are now stood down, although dissident groups still practise terror.

The RUC no longer exists and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which replaced it, has made serious attempts to recruit from both communities. Mind you, that didn’t stop a dissident republican group from murdering Constable Ronan Kerr, a Catholic, with a car bomb.

Paisley was indeed a nasty piece of work but he did in the end agree to enter a power-sharing administration with the equally unpleasant McGuinness of Sinn Fein. Paisley has since retired, but the power-sharing executive is still alive, and is our best hope at present.

 

[BettyBoop416]

Like all sectarian violence the just causes have been lost in the betrayals, the atrocities, the senseless killing, the torture and criminality…

Truth.

 

[Picky_Picky]

Do they actually have neighborhoods that are officially segragated by religion? Or do people just like to stay in their traditional area even if they aren’t required to. If you live in a city where people are required to live in a certain place based on religion, I wouldn’t be surprised if ANYTHING happened!

So-called “peace walls” were built between many Catholic and Protestant areas of Belfast and Derry and elsewhere to give some security to the people of each community. Suggestions that these should now be removed have been opposed by many local communities because they fear the consequences. The current state of relative peace is wonderful compared with what went before, but it’s precarious.

 

[GaryTaylor]

This is indeed crazy. You guys ought to get your act together over there, like us here.

 

[SAVINGRACE]

I agree. I think that the Orange should have never came and the English should have left four hundred years age.

:harp::knight2::irish1::shamrock2:

Ahhh the English always overstaying their welcome where ever they went building their Empire, the Aboriginals here welcomed them as visitors dropping in for a short stay… they left and came back with more people.

Just kidding… love the poms. This lot in NI should just get together for some pints.

I have never understood people who bear grudges for hundreds of years and to the point of violence.

 

[josie_L]

Because they want to cause trouble. They want to make the Catholics angry, make the Catholics lose their cool, get violent… and then the CATHOLICS are the bad guys!

The Orangemen will say; “We’re just marching here… Minding our own business and expressing our devotion to Reformed Worship/Theology… And then those Catholics attacked us!!!”

They do it for the same reasons the Ku Klux Klan march through Jewish and black neighborhoods.

From what I remember the KKK was formed based on its hatred of Catholicism/Catholics.

 

[JMJ_coder]

The Old Orange Flute - now I get it.

What’s the history behind the colors green and orange? I’m also now assuming that this is why there is green and orange in the Irish flag - if so, does the white symbolize anything?

 

[Picky_Picky]

The BBC today:

Another 400 police officers are due in Northern Ireland following hours of serious rioting in Belfast.

Chief Constable Matt Baggott described the trouble which injured 32 police officers and an MP, as “shameful and disgraceful”.

Clashes developed when police enforced a ban on an Orange Order march.

The order called for widespread demonstrations after marchers were banned from a stretch of road separating loyalists and nationalists.

It later said it was suspending its protest.

Twenty-two people have been arrested across Northern Ireland.

Mr Baggott said the Twelfth had been a “day of celebration” for many people and that the majority of parades had passed off “peacefully”.

“But I think this morning (Saturday) some of the leadership within the Orange Order needs to reflect upon whether they provided the responsible leadership asked for by myself and by the party leaders,” he said.

“Some of their language was emotive, having called thousands of people to protest, they had no plan and no control, and rather than being responsible, I think the word for that is reckless.”

He said on Friday night there were more than 4,000 police officers on the streets and another 400 police officers would arrive from England, Wales and Scotland on Saturday.

“You can be assured, we will deploy the necessary resources to ensure peace is maintained and the rule of law upheld,” he said.

Secretary of State Theresa Villiers said she “utterly condemned” the rioting.

She said it was “right” that the Orange Order had suspended its protests and called for the organisation to “call them off completely”.

“It is the clear responsibility of everyone who has influence, including the Orange Order, community leaders and politicians, to do what they can to calm the situation. We need temperate language over coming days,” she added.

Many families with children were caught up in the violence in the north of the city.

Petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks were thrown at the police who responded with water cannon and fired 20 plastic baton rounds.
…

The trouble started when the police blocked a road to enforce a determination made by the Parades Commission, preventing Orangemen from passing Ardoyne on the return route of their annual 12 July march.

The area has seen republican rioting in recent years when the parade was allowed to pass.

Nothing is easy in Northern Ireland.

 

[Picky_Picky]

The Old Orange Flute - now I get it.

What’s the history behind the colors green and orange? I’m also now assuming that this is why there is green and orange in the Irish flag - if so, does the white symbolize anything?

White for peace between the green and the orange, I’m told. We hope.