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PAGE 9
Loyalists flout
parade ruling
BY BRYAN GRAY
bryan.gray@newsletter.co.uk
LOYALIST bands – accompanied by
the Orange Order – yesterday defied
a Parades Commission ruling placing
musical restrictions on an east Belfast
parade.
Last week Orangemen and women
taking part in the annual Loyal Orange
Widows’ Fund parade were ordered
by the parades body to play a specific
hymn while passing a Roman Catholic
church close to a city interface.
In its ruling, the Parades Commission
ordered two bands to play Abide With
Me when passing St Matthew’s Chapel
on the Lower Newtownards Road.
However, on both the inward and
return march to a religious service at
Townsend Street Presbyterian Church
yesterday afternoon, the flute bands
both opted to play alternative music.
Leading up to 200 members of the
loyal institution, Pride of the Raven
flute band played What a Friend We
Have in Jesus while the Blues and
Royals flute band played The World
In Union past the chapel, close to the
nationalist Short Strand.
On their return, both bands played
marching tunes along the specified
route between the Bridge End flyover
and the Susan Street junction.
Speaking after the parade, hosted
by Ballymacarrett District LOL
No 6, district chaplain the Rev
Mervyn Gibson claimed the Parades
Commission could not dictate Orange
parades.
The senior Orangeman, who last
week accused the parades body of
“fanning the flames of division”,
defended the actions of parade
participants.
Turn to page 10
Boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper dies at 76 – see page 12
The pride of Northern Ireland www.newsletter.co.uk
United title charge
stalled by Gunners
SEE SPORT
Residents
flee due to
gorse fires
RESIDENTS of a Tyrone
village had to be evacuated
last night as gorse fires raged
across almost every county in
Northern Ireland.
The PSNI and Northern
Ireland Fire and Rescue
Service issued warnings last
night as fires flared in Clogher
Valley, Annalong, Ballycastle,
south Armagh, south Down,
Omagh, Creggan and Gortin.
Roads around Gortin
Newlyweds enjoy some downtime were closed and residents
of the Lenamore Road area
were evacuated. The local
community centre was opened
to accommodate them.
And the NIFRS said their
ability to tackle the fires,
which were travelling at rates
of one metre per second, had
been hampered by queues of
cars that came to sight-see.
Meanwhile, arsonists
blamed for gorse fires that
sparked a major alert in the
Mourne Mountains should
face jail, it was claimed
yesterday.
See page 3
Prisoner
absconds
A PRISONER has escaped
from a healthcare facility in
Belfast.
Police said Mark Paul, 28,
absconded from the facility
on the Saintfield Road at
about 3.30am on Saturday.
The PSNI has warned that
he should not be approached
by members of the public
but anyone with information
should contact the PSNI
immediately.
He is described as being
5ft 9in tall, of stocky build
with dirty fair hair and has a
missing upper front tooth.
He also has a Union Jack
tattoo on his left arm and
Chinese writing tattooed on
the nape of his neck.
Paul was convicted of
assault on police, common
assault and a serious assault
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walk hand in hand from Buckingham Palace in London at the along with numerous other
weekend, following their wedding last Friday – see pages 4, 5, 6 and 7 PICTURE: John Stillwell/PA convictions.