February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The first contentious parade is at the end of this week when the biennial Tour of the North march takes place in North Belfast. It has sparked deep concern among nationalist politicians, particularly in the Ardoyne area.
Friday’s parade will pass nationalist homes and the flashpoint Ardoyne shops area, where serious violence flared last year. This year, however, loyalist supporters will be barred from area “until directed by the police.”
They must then keep to the footpath, according to a Parades Commission ruling while music is also restricted to a single drumbeat. A nationalist protest is being planned against the march.
The ruling will be the first test of the Commission’s enhanced powers under new legislation giving it jurisdiction over the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of supporters who follow parades as well as Orange lodges and accompanying bands.
Serious violence broke out after a march on July 12 last year in the same area when hundreds of loyalist supporters, including well-known UDA figures, were allowed to pass Ardoyne shop fronts.
Although last June’s Tour of the North parade passed off without incident, loyalist youths were involved in disturbances at the Mater Hospital on Crumlin Road, breaking into the Accident and Emergency department.
In this year’s ruling, the commission noted a number of recent attacks in North Belfast and disturbances following Rangers and Celtic football matches. It said it had “cause to believe that should the parade process the entirety of its notified route without restrictions, there may be an adverse effect on community relations and potential for public disorder.”
However, Sinn F