The Parades Commission has banned a planned Apprentice Boys march through the nationalist Lower Ormeau Road in Belfast. The Belfast Walker Club, a faction of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, had sought to parade from Ballynafeigh Orange Hall along Ormeau Road, across Ormeau Bridge to Donegall Pass, where it intended to join a main parade to the cenotaph. The commission ruled that the parade’s outward route is prohibited from crossing Ormeau Bridge at its junction with Annadale Embankment or entering the section of Ormeau Road between that junction and Havelock Bridge. The decision also reiterated requirements for respectful behavior, including no singing, chanting, or paramilitary-style clothing during the event.
The ban follows longstanding restrictions on loyalist parades in the area, dating to disorder in the 1990s. The Lower Ormeau Concerned Community had applied for a protest against the march, and the commission received submissions from residents, political parties, and the police. Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey welcomed the decision, stating, “There was never any basis or justification for taking the community of the lower Ormeau Road back 27 years.” The determination comes as tensions continue over parading routes in Northern Ireland, including the recent controversy over the Drumcree Orange Order parade in Portadown. There is no going back. Not now. Not ever,” Hargey added.
Route Restrictions and Prohibitions
The Parades Commission’s determination explicitly barred the Belfast Walker Club from crossing Ormeau Bridge at its junction with Annadale Embankment or entering the road section between that junction and Havelock Bridge. The ruling emphasized that parades must avoid “singing, chanting, or loud drumming” and prohibit “paramilitary style clothing” or symbols of proscribed organizations.
Historical Context and Community Response
Loyalist parades have been barred from Lower Ormeau Road since the 1990s, following incidents including the 1992 murder of five Catholics by the UDA at a bookmakers’ shop. The area has remained a flashpoint, with residents opposing the march due to its historical significance and past violence. The Belfast Walker Club had applied for a parade with 80 supporters and one band on November 7, but the commission’s restrictions effectively blocked the route.
Public Engagement and Community Calls
The request to march on Ormeau Road is considered the first such instance at a parading flashpoint since the commission controversially granted the Orange Order permission to march through the nationalist Garvaghy Road area of Portadown last month. The latest effort to parade follows the approval for an Orange Order march along Garvaghy Road in Portadown, which led to a two-week standoff before the parade was banned by Secretary of State Chris Bryant. If applicable, send a letter for publication to Conor McParland at c.mcparland@belfastmedia.com or contact Editor Anthony Neeson at Belfast Media Group, 43-47 Falls Road, Belfast BT12 4PD.
