Blocked Orange Troubles dead commemoration can go ahead, say equality experts after £6,000 tests
An Orange Order commemoration blocked last year can now happen after £6,000 of equality tests cleared it.
Controversially, the body was blocked from marching to a cenotaph in Bangor for Orange Victims Day last September by the area’s council.
Ards and North Down Council said the parade would have to be run through equality tests – but as the process can take up to three months, there wasn’t enough time to carry them out and the march was stopped.
Stunned organisers couldn't believe that a 15-minute ceremony marking Orange Order members killed during the Troubles would even need an equality test, but officials were adamant that one had to happen as the cenotaph is on council-owned land – the huge Ward Park in the centre of the Co Down city.
The order instead marched along a road with an entrance to the park near the cenotaph, and sent a small delegation to the monument to lay a wreath while the majority of members stood outside.
This year, organisers went through an Equality Impact Assessment well in advance of Orange Victims Day – and have passed with flying colours.
According to a report on the £6,000 equality tests, more than four out of every five people who took part in a public poll on the cenotaph memorial ceremony wanted to see it happen – and only around 16% of respondents were against it.
A public meeting on the commemoration saw accusations that the Orange Order is being treated unfairly, and that some of the council’s staff were “deliberately obstructing their efforts, mischief making, or acting in conjunction with certain political parties”, the report adds.
Equality experts conclude the memorial ceremony should be allowed to happen at the cenotaph, though with restrictions on noise and duration to make sure the music and ceremony are respectful.
States the report: “After the event, it is recommended that the event organisers and council officers jointly carry out a ‘lessons learned’ review of the event to help inform decisions regarding any future requests.”
The report is due to be debated at an Ards and North Down Council meeting this week, at which a final decision on letting the event go ahead will be made.
North Down MP Alex Easton, himself an Orangeman, is pleased the commemoration can now go ahead, but argues equality testing should never have been needed in the first place.
“It is absolutely right that we honour the men and women who gave their lives for the freedoms and democracy we enjoy today,” he said.
“However, it is deeply disappointing that we were forced to go through an Equality Impact Assessment just to hold a dignified act of remembrance. Roughly £6,000 of ratepayers’ money has been wasted in the process – money that should never have had to be spent.
“Last year’s decision to ban the event was utterly disgraceful and caused real pain to many in our community. That mistake must never be repeated. It’s time for common sense and decency to prevail, and I urge all councillors to support this important memorial without hesitation.”
Orange Victims Day marks 343 members of the Order killed by paramilitaries during the Troubles. It’s timed to mark the anniversary of the 1975 Tullyvallen Massacre, in which IRA gunmen attacked an Orange Hall, killing five.