Call for Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign parade to be blocked from Scarva
Unionist politicians have united in calls for a Pro-Palestinian march to be blocked from Scarva ahead of a Parades Commission meeting on the matter this week.
The commission said it will consider all representations before deciding whether to use any of its powers on the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) Lurgan parade. The meeting is due to take place on Wednesday.
Last year’s march saw trouble in the village with some marchers running down the main street and riot police deployed. This year the march will see 1,500 people parade from Lurgan and past Scarva on the Newry canal towpath to Omeath from 8.30am to 5pm on June 6.
A counter-protest is planned and, adding further complications, this year, Markethill Volunteers Flute Band has applied to stage a D-Day commemoration and sponsored walk with 500 participants and 500 spectators on the towpath from Scarva to Portadown and back again.
UUP alderman Glenn Barr called for the “republican-Palestinian parade” to avoid Scarva.
“From the outset, I have worked closely with the Scarva Concerned Residents, who have rightly and responsibly raised serious concerns about the impact this would have on a small rural village that has already endured periods of tension,” he said.
“Those concerns have been formally submitted to both the Parades Commission and the PSNI, and I will continue to make strong and detailed representations that this parade should not be permitted to proceed through Scarva in any form that risks undermining community stability or public order.”
TUV leader Jim Allister has already called for the parade along the towpath to be banned from Scarva.
“The proposed parade is viewed by the local community as an overtly political and provocative event closely associated with republican activism and symbolism,” he said.
“The commission is under a statutory duty to have regard to the potential impact of parades upon community relations, public order and the rights of those who live and work along the proposed route.
“In this case there is a compelling argument that the balance falls firmly against permitting this procession to proceed through the village.”
UUP MLA Doug Beattie said he had met with the PSNI regarding the parade and would be speaking to the Parades Commission this week.
He said it was clear the people of Scarva did not want the parade to pass through their village and it should not be doing so.
DUP MLA Gareth Wilson called for the parade to be rerouted. “The sponsored walk organised by Markethill Volunteers Flute Band has a end-point of Scarva, while the conclusion of the pro-Palestinian march is in Newry,” he said.
“It should therefore be possible for the route of that Palestine march to be amended, which could allow both to proceed whilst minimising potential problems.”
Video footage of the parade last year showed a woman reassuring a frightened child that they were safe as several dozen men ran down the Main Street shouting, chased by several dozen riot police.
One resident said around five men carrying Palestinian flags marched into the village towards the war memorial before being intercepted by police.
Police sealed off the main street and environs for almost three hours and made four arrests for disorderly behaviour, with the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) handing down cautions to all four.
Three other people were reported to the PPS on suspicion of taking part in an un-notified protest.
Police also took a flag linked to a terror organisation from the parade in Newry, though they did not say how the case was resolved.
The News Letter asked the Parades Commission what steps it was taking to prevent disorder this year.
A spokesperson responded that it is “aware of the events” last year and will consider notifications on May 27 by IPSC Lurgan and Scarva Concerned Residents for another parade and a related protest.
“The commission is scheduled to hear from a wide range of stakeholders, including the organisers of the public procession, elected representatives and the police. It has already received a significant number of representations concerning this parade.
“The commission will consider all of the information available to it and decide whether or not it is necessary to exercise any of its powers as set out in the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 in relation to either or both of the notified public procession and the associated protest.”
It urged everyone involved “to act in a responsible manner, with respect for the law and for the rights of others and to comply with the instructions of police”.
The PSNI said that “an appropriate and proportionate policing operation will be in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved”.