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American Morning

Orange Order Parades Celebrate Anniversary of Protestant Victory

Aired July 12, 2001 - 10:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to stay in Europe next and talk about Northern Ireland, where the marching season is inching closer to its peak. Today is a significant anniversary. There's been a series of parades across the province of Northern Ireland, but violence and the threat of increasing tensions have preceded the start of this annual show of strength by Protestant militants.

CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is joining us now from Belfast. Let's talk, Fionnuala, first about the significance of July 12.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the climax of the marching season, Stephen, for Orange Order men, and the parades begin in April and run through until August. But this week, and particularly last Sunday, the Orange Order parade at Drumcree near Portadown is seen as setting the tone for this week's parade and for today's parade the 12th of July.

Now, we're on the Ormeau Road in South Belfast. Behind me, perhaps, you can see the huge green steel barrier that has been erected by security forces at around 8:00 local time this morning. Now that was designed to prevent Orange Order men on the other side of the barrier coming through to where we are now on the Catholic side of the Ormeau Road.

Now, when the Orange Order men arrived at that barrier this morning, they stopped, they sang hymns, they said prayers, they strongly criticized the British government for giving what they see as too many concessions to Republicans in the Good Friday agreement, and then they dispersed quietly.

We understand this parade has been quieter on this road than in many previous years. There were very few Catholics on this side of the road and as you can see, traffic is now moving to and from both sides of the Ormeau Road.

And elsewhere throughout the province, we're hearing that the parades have passed off, for the most part, peacefully. A few minor scuffles, we're told, in Londonderry, where Orange Order parades have been taking. But the police telling us that for the most part, for now, things have gone rather quietly this 12th -- Stephen?

FRAZIER: Let's do a little background here, Fionnuala, because I don't think people here keep as close tabs on this as you do. The people in the Orange Order are people who'd like to remain united with the Kingdom of England, with Great Britain. And this march that they take celebrates an ancient military victory, but it's used on a daily or on an annual basis to reinforce a current point of view, political point of view, is that right?

SWEENEY: Well, basically, the Orange Orders see themselves as defenders and protectors of the Protestant faith. And this particular march on the 12th, these series of marches that take place throughout Northern Ireland are commemorating the 1690 Battle of the Boyne, when there was a famous Protestant victory and King William of Orange, as he was known, and that's how the Orange Order got their name, of Holland against the Catholics. And it's been that since then that the Protestants Orange Order have continued to commemorate that battle, with these parades that we see here today.

Now, the Roman Catholic population regard these parades as sectarianism. They see them as triumphalist and they have been resisting, particularly as we saw in Drumcree last Sunday, and, indeed, over the previous five or six years. They resist and they resent the Orange Order marching through their neighborhoods. And the British government recently, in the last couple of years, appointed a parades commission which has adjudicated on the routes that these parades take. In all their parades throughout Northern Ireland they decide whether a parade can march down Catholic area or not and they take many things into consideration, the residents of those Catholic neighborhoods, and, of course, safety.

And in this case where we are here today, the parades commission decided that the Protestant Orange Order could not march down the Ormeau Road and that's where we are now, having seen that parade take place earlier today -- Stephen?

FRAZIER: A very peaceful outcome, Fionnuala, especially in light of the fact that there were riots as recently as just last night in which police and civilians were hurt. So a dramatic quieting of events there. Fionnuala Sweeney reporting from Belfast, we want to thank you for that...

SWEENEY: Yes, indeed, it has been rather...

FRAZIER: Oh, I guess we're going to end there, Fionnuala. Thank you very much for that update on how things are going in Northern Ireland.

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