SF wade into parade row
SINN Fein are set to disrupt the Royal Irish homecoming parade with a counter demonstration on the same day.
It emerged last night that the party has lodged an application with the Parades Commission to hold their own march on November 2, as members of the armed forces parade through Belfast for the first time since World War Two.
The news came just hours after Royal Irish soldiers paraded as heroes through an English town.
Mystery
Mystery, however, surrounded the official reason for the Sinn Fein march application as party spokesmen were unable to comment on why the parade was taking place.
It proposes to start and finish in Belfast city centre around the same time as the homecoming parade.
Consideration
Last night, a spokesman for the Parades Commission said both parades – the Sinn Fein parade, a late application, and the homecoming parade – will go up for consideration next week.
He added that the Parades Commission would also be seeking clarification on the reason for the Sinn Fein parade.
Crowds expected
In its application Sinn Fein said it expected 500 people to attend.
However, last night the DUP said it would be seeking an urgent meeting with the Parades Commission to establish the reason for their parade.
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson, who attended yesterday's service of thanksgiving, said he was "very sad to hear of Sinn Fein's plans".
He said: "Today the Royal Irish got such an amazing reception from every corner of Shropshire, from every age and from every political party. It would really be very sad if it became a political football in Northern Ireland.
"Today, quite by chance, most of the soldiers I met were from the south of Ireland. They found the disagreement in Northern Ireland completely incomprehensible."
Parade
According to the Parades Commission website, the Headquarters Northern Ireland MOD for Joint Services and TA in Northern Ireland have applied for a homecoming parade on November 2 in Belfast city centre.
The parade of 280 participants, with one band, and 280 supporters is proposed to start at 12.45pm from College Square East.
Organisers have asked for the parade to process to Howard Street, Donegall Square West, Donegall Square North, Chichester Street, Crown Courts Plaza and Oxford Street.
The end time of the outward route is proposed to be 1.10pm.
Timing
Meanwhile, the start time of the controversial Sinn Fein parade is proposed for noon from Bank Square to Chapel Lane, Castle Street, Castle Junction and Donegall Place. The end proposed time of the outward route is 1.05pm.
The Parades Commission website says that the expected number of participants is 500.
Condemning the Sinn Fein proposals, DUP MLA Nelson McCausland said: "The Sinn Fein protest parade is simply a squalid attempt to disrupt the day and to intimidate those who want to come out to see the 'welcome home' parade.
"Thousands of people will be out on to the streets of Belfast that day to welcome home the local men and women who have served so bravely in Afghanistan and Iraq in the ranks of Her Majesty's Forces.
"The DUP will be meeting the Parades Commission to discuss the Sinn Fein protest parade, which is deliberately provocative and offensive.
"Those who spent decades trying to kill British soldiers do not even want to allow them to walk the streets of our capital city."
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Weather for Belfast
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
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Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 7 C
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