Police 'Allowed Illegal Republican Parade'

Members of the leading loyal order are said to be frustrated over an illegal march in Co Armagh yesterday and news of 'zero' prosecutions or cautions for those participating in any such illegal parades.

The Orange Order described this as a "major shift" in policy, which they said, is causing huge frustration among law-abiding Orangemen.

The outcry came as around 200 republicans ignored police warnings as they held a march that called for the release from prison of double murderer Martin Corey during a march in Lurgan from the Kilwilkie estate to Taghnevan.

Having blocked off the roads into the town centre, the police filmed those involved. There were no confrontations during a fairly low-key security operation.

Since then, the Belfast News Letter has revealed there have been no known prosecutions or cautions for those participating in illegal parades in Northern Ireland since 2006.

It is also being reported that the PSNI no longer collates statistics on illegal parades and protests.

In contrast, Orangemen said they are being forced to battle through red tape while republicans can seemingly march illegally without fear of criminal convictions.

DUP MLA and Policing Board member Jimmy Spratt said: "I suspect the PSNI has stopped centrally recording statistics on illegal parades and protests because it does not want to be asked questions about them, and has done precious little about them.

"This poses very serious questions which I will be raising with the Policing Board," he commented.

Meanwhile, politicians in Lurgan expressed anger after yesterday's republican march.

DUP MLA Stephen Moutray said he was "particularly concerned" that the parade was allowed to proceed along two main arterial routes.

The Upper Bann MLA also said he would be meeting with his party colleagues on the Policing Board about yesterday's march and added: "The action being taken very much differs from that which has been taken in relation to the loyal orders parades, which have worked through the Parades Commission, so I would expect charges are brought over this illegal parade."

The MLA claimed there was a clear issue of fairness and equality at stake: "What happened in Lurgan on Sunday was nothing more than a hate march. It was quite evidently an illegal parade and people are furious that further action was not taken to prevent it from taking place in the first instance.

"This hate march has been captured on tape. The community expects convictions to flow from such footage," he said.

"It is nothing short of scandalous that the Loyal Orders are made to jump through hoops by the Parades Commission and the police when it comes to completing the Commission's 11-1 form, but illegal hate marches like this are allowed to process along the highway without any permission."

He noted that people will rightly conclude that the Parades Commission is happy to bully and cajole law-abiding citizens in the Loyal Orders but turn a blind eye to a dissident Republican mob.

The 'Release Martin Corey Campaign' supports a killer who was originally convicted and handed a life sentence for killing two RUC men in 1973. He was released on licence in 1992, having served 19 years. He has been held in Maghaberry since last April after his licence was revoked.

See: Parades Commission Ridiculed Over March

(BMcC/GK)