Posted by Jim on June 9, 2016
THE Orange Order is planning to hold one of its main Twelfth parades through a majority nationalist town in Co Antrim.
Ballycastle has been selected as a venue for one of 18 main parades to mark the Twelfth of July celebrations.
Located in the heart of the Glens of Antrim, the picturesque seaside town has been the centre of a parades dispute in the past.
The order has also revealed plans to host a massive parade through Portadown in Co Armagh.
Both it and a similar march in Kilkeel in Co Down have been given `flagship’ status and are expected to be among the best attended parades held across the north.
Tensions in the Co Armagh town have been high in the past after nationalists opposed Orange Order parades passing along the nationalist Garvaghy Road.
Portadown District Master Darryl Hewitt said the Portadown parade will be largest in the world on the Twelfth.
“The Twelfth in Portadown will be the largest gathering anywhere in the world and we look forward to welcoming the thousands of Orangemen, Orangewomen, juniors, bandsmen and spectators to what we believe will be a truly memorable occasion,” he said.
DUP economy minister Simon Hamilton has backed the Orange Order’s plans.
“I welcome the announcement by the Orange Institution that Portadown and Kilkeel have been named as this year’s Twelfth tourist flagships,” he said.
“With a programme of events alongside the traditional demonstration the flagship programme offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy the culture, music and pageantry of the day.”
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The 18 demonstrations on Tuesday July 12 will take place in:
Portadown
Kilkeel
Belfast
Maguiresbridge
Limavady
Castledawson
Coagh
Newtownstewart
Aughnacloy
Randalstown
Glenarm
Ballymena
Ahoghill
Lisburn
Ballycastle
Donaghadee
Comber
Dromore
A Twelfth demonstration will also be held in Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal, on Saturday July 9.
Posted by Jim on
Families vindicated as report points to massacre cover-up
Families of six men murdered in the Loughinisland massacre have welcomed
an Ombudsman’s investigation that has finally exposed significant state
collusion with the killers.
On 18 June 1994, a death squad entered a pub in the small County Down
village and fired on customers with assault rifles, killing six
civilians and wounding five. The pub was targeted because it was
frequented mainly by Catholics, and was crowded with people watching the
Ireland soccer team playing in the 1994 World Cup.
Dr Maguire Michael found that at least one man suspected of carrying out
the mass killing in the Heights Bar was a paid state agent.
The ombudsman also said the murder squad had been involved in a number
of other killings in the years beforehand, but had avoided arrest
because the RUC police’s Special Branch intelligence unit had withheld
evidence from those tasked with investigating the murder campaign.
He said some Special Branch officers adopted a “hear no evil, speak no
evil, see no evil” mindset into the massacre, for which no one was ever
brought to justice.
Emma Rogan, whose father Adrian was killed, said: “Today we finally have
a report by the Police Ombudsman that at last vindicates our long-held
suspicions and belief that the truth about these murders was being
covered up by the very people – the police – who were supposed to be
protecting us, be on our side and investigate and bring to justice those
responsible.”
Paddy McCreanor, nephew of victim Daniel McCreanor, said: “Collusion is
no illusion and collusion happened. The truth has come out and that’s
all we ever wanted.”
The families’ lawyer Niall Murphy said the scale of the collusion was
“terrifying”. He called on former British Prime Minister John Major to
apologise for the collusion that took place when he was in office.
“This report is one of the most damning expositions of state collusion
in mass murder that has ever been published,” he said.
The families also called on current British Direct Ruler Theresa
Villiers to say sorry for referencing Loughinisland in a speech earlier
this year about what she claimed was a “pernicious counter-narrative” of
the conflict that was trying to place undue blame on the forces of the
British state.
“We call on her to retract and apologise to us today,” said Ms Rogan.
In his report’s conclusion, Dr Maguire said he had “no hesitation in
saying collusion was a significant feature of the Loughinisland
murders”. He described failures in the overall investigation as
“catastrophic” and said in too many instances the probe was
characterised by “incompetence, indifference and neglect”.
The ombudsma examined the role of state agents in efforts to provide
weapons to loyalist death squads from abroad during the mid to late
1980s.
He found that the Crown forces were monitoring the importation bids and
information provided by state agents in high positions within the
loyalist murder gangs could have helped the the recovery of weapons.
He said unrecovered weapons from the shipments were used in 70 murders
and attempted murders, including those at Loughinisland. He said that
after the murders, Special Branch did not use their sources in any real
effort to catch the killers.
A report by previous police ombudsman Al Hutchinson in 2011 found that
the RUC failed to properly investigate what happened in Loughinisland
but claimed there was insufficient evidence of collusion.
Those findings were quashed after a legal challenge by relatives of
those killed and Dr Maguire undertook a fresh investigation.
Sinn Fein’s Caitriona Ruane has paid tribute to the determination of the
Loughinisland families for their long campaign to uncover the truth
behind the massacre.
“For 22 years the families of those killed in the Loughinisland massacre
have been courageously campaigning for the truth about the murder of
their loved ones,” she said.
“They have had to endure the horror of the massacre, then the insult of
collusion, cover ups, failed investigations and continued attempts to
hide the truth.
“This obstruction by the British government and the police have only
added to the hurt, pain and trauma of the families.
“They faced all of these obstacles with dignity and determination and
today’s report from the Police Ombudsman have vindicated the view of the
families that there was collusion at the heart of this case.
“What has been revealed is collusion on a huge scale.
“I and my party colleagues have worked with the Loughinisland families
for many years, highlighting their case both here and in the European
Parliament, and standing alongside human rights groups to get at the
truth of what happened in 1994 and since.
“We will continue to stand with the Loughinisland families as they
continue to campaign for truth and justice.”
Those murdered were Barney Green, 87, Adrian Rogan, 34, Malcolm
Jenkinson, 53, Daniel McCreanor, 59, Patrick O’Hare, 35, and Eamon
Byrne, 39.
