Thursday, October 1, 2009

Time to blow the whistle on Orange and Republican Parades











Dear All

The right to protest about injustice by marching on the streets is a human right that people have fought and died for.

The Chief constable of Strathclyde Police, Stephen House has said his officers deal with "too many" marches and parades.

The costs are staggering, 1,000 events took up 50,000 Police hours at a cost of £1.7 million.

That money and more importantly time could have been better spent on officers actively engaged in patrolling high crime areas and building better relations with communities.

One thing that goes along with these marches and parades is increased incidents of violence and disorder.

£596,398 of these costs was incurred in a single day policing the main Orange parade through Glasgow on 5 July 2008.

Glasgow has more parades involving Protestant Loyal Order and Republican organisations than Belfast, with 247 compared with Belfast's 217.

It is time that these people footed the entire bill if they wish to continue their activities.

A report on violence, disorder and antisocial behaviour focused on Orange parades in Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire found an increased number of common, serious and racially motivated assaults.

In other words, we are giving thugs a vehicle which they think allows them to commit crime and at the same time feel safe as part of a mob!

Orange Lodge Grand master, Ian Wilson has told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme its parades were well stewarded.

My question to him, are his “stewards” all SIA registered?

If not, why not?

Mr. Wilson further added;

"My message to both the police and the local authorities is - let's stop the posturing, stop the spin, and some of the dodgy statistics, and let's get round the table and talk about this."

Let’s talk about the Orange Lodge and their Republican counterparts footing their fair share of the cost of policing.

Let’s talk about SIA registration of all their “stewards”.

Let’s talk about them taking out an insurance bond for the victims of crime that are affected by their marches.

These people are dinosaurs of a Scotland that no longer exists; this country is no longer a proxy for the conflict that transpired in Northern Ireland.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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