'Sinn Fein have chosen division and opposition': Anger as nationalist Stormont minister and MP jointly target Royal Black 'Last Saturday' parade
Unionists have reacted angrily after Sinn Fein targeted a ‘Last Saturday’ Royal Black parade through a Co Down city.
Senior figures in the nationalist party today revealed they’d already escalated the issue to the Parades Commission, setting out a list of complaints about flags and disruption from the march’s route during an in-person meeting with the body.
A Stormont minister and an MP were among members of a delegation raising objections to a march slated to happen in Newry on August 29 – with the latter, Daire Hughes, claiming recent city parades “caused disruption and frustration in the community”.
The Newry and Armagh MP also insisted flags must be “promptly taken down” after the event, claiming the local community is “frustrated and annoyed” by seeing them flying “long after the parade has come and gone”.
Another delegation member, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins, claimed Newry residents are worried about “access for residents and emergency services” as well as “disruption in the city centre which will affect businesses, workers and shoppers, and the need for the organisers to ensure good behaviour and respect for the local community”.
She stated: “It’s essential the Parades Commission takes community concerns into consideration.”
Their intervention saw three unionist parties united in anger, with DUP MLA Gareth Wilson arguing Sinn Fein could have embraced an event that’s predicted to attract visitors from all over Northern Ireland and across the border, but instead “chose division and opposition”.
Said the Newry and Armagh politician: “The day will be a celebration of culture and tradition, but will also be an opportunity for those businesses Sinn Fein claim to be concerned about to welcome thousands of people and the opportunities for trade they will bring.
“People from across the political spectrum in Newry have commented over many months now about a lack of leadership from Sinn Fein, whether that’s on immigration or other significant challenges facing our communities. Yet again we see an inability to step forward and offer that leadership to people they claim to represent.”
Area Ulster Unionist councillor David Taylor, a member of the local Royal Black District Chapter, said the parade organisers have a “responsible approach” to events and have already engaged with local business representatives about the march.
“The parade will attract thousands to Newry, providing a welcome boost for the local economy,” he told the News Letter.
“The unionist community has as much right as anyone else to celebrate and express its cultural tradition, and that right should be respected by everyone – including Sinn Fein.
“I look forward to taking part in the event myself and am confident that, as in previous years, the parade will be a well organised and successful occasion.”
The TUV’s Keith Ratcliffe, who sits on a neighbouring council but is to stand as MLA candidate for Newry and Armagh in next year’s elections, accused the nationalists of trying to “manufacture a controversy”.
He told the News Letter: “The Royal Black Institution is renowned for the dignity and decorum of its parades, as well as the high quality of the bands.
“The simple fact of the matter is that Sinn Fein seek to object to almost every expression of unionism and loyalism in Newry.”
The Royal Black was contacted but did not wish to comment.