Newtownbutler Protests Against Sectarianism

06/07/10

The chairperson of éirígí’s Fermanagh ciorcal, Kevin Martin, has commended the residents of Newtownbutler for the disciplined and determined manner with which they demonstrated their opposition to last Friday’s unionist band parade in the village.

Up to 1,000 bandsmen and supporters had been bussed into the overwhelmingly nationalist village from across the Six Counties for Friday’s sectarian coat-trailing exercise. Stormont DUP minister Arlene Foster made her contempt for the nationalist community known as she stood in support of the sectarian march.

Newtownbutler was put under siege for most of the day by the PSNI and, from early evening, the Crom Road area was sealed off, preventing any passage through for local residents. Throughout the day, PSNI gunmen stopped and warned young nationalists not to attend the residents’ protest that night, under pain of arrest.

That evening, the PSNI displayed an extremely aggressive attitude towards the local nationalists who engaged in peaceful protest while simultaneously ignoring the outright sectarian behaviour of the unionist rent-a-mob. Residents thwarted PSNI attempts to pen them back like sheep as a result of the ill-thought out decision by the Parades Commission.

Earlier on Friday, the Belfast High Court rejected a resident’s application for judicial review of the Commission’s decision on the basis of “the lateness of the application” – conveniently ignoring the various legal hurdles deliberately put in the path of that resident with the sole purpose of the delaying the application from being heard.

Martin said: “I commend the determination and disciple of the local residents who demonstrated on Friday night that they are not prepared to be treated as second-class citizens within their own community.

“Many local people were quite justifiably angry at the decision to give the go-ahead for this sectarian parade. It is clear that, far from being intimidated, local residents have been energised in their efforts to prevent any future such coat-trailing exercises.

“Indeed, quite a number of people said on Friday that the unionist parade made them even more determined to organise for the future to ensure that such outright and blatant exercises in sectarianism are not imposed on their community again. éirígí supports the local nationalist community in their efforts to live free from sectarian harassment.”