Aontú Newry representative Róisín Mulgrew has called for greater scrutiny of the cumulative impact of parades on Newry following the widespread disruption caused in the city on Saturday.
Mulgrew acknowledged that Saturday’s large Royal Black demonstration is an infrequent event in Newry, but said it highlighted wider questions around the frequency, timing and management of parades throughout the marching season.
“Saturday’s particular demonstration may only come to Newry occasionally, but it does not exist in isolation. Parades Commission records show a series of Orange, Royal Black and band processions affecting the city throughout the marching season.
“Newry has a long record of accommodating Orange and Unionist cultural expression peacefully. This is a predominantly Nationalist city, yet these parades routinely pass without confrontation. That shows something very positive about the people of Newry.
“But that innate decency cannot be taken for granted. There comes a point where you risk punishing good people for good behaviour.
“Saturday caused significant disruption. Taxi drivers effectively lost a day’s work, people had difficulty accessing their homes, and others struggled to shop, attend appointments or get children to activities.
“I even heard of one Tesco customer who, unable to get his groceries home by car, ended up taking the shopping trolley and walking home with it. It sounds almost comical, but it demonstrates just how difficult basic tasks became.
“A Bank Holiday weekend should also have been a valuable trading day for Newry. Instead, some businesses lost a day’s trade while already struggling with rates and rising costs.
“What makes this more frustrating is that the problems were not unforeseen. Newry’s Sinn Féin MP, MLA and councillors met the Parades Commission weeks beforehand apparently specifically calling for disruption to be minimised and access for residents to be maintained.
“Yet Newry was effectively brought to a standstill, and afterwards we saw the same representatives taking to social media to condemn the very disruption they had supposedly been engaging with the authorities to prevent.
“People are entitled to ask what those meetings actually achieved. What assurances were given? What follow-up took place?
“It is easy for politicians to issue angry statements after the event. Representation has to amount to more than having a meeting, taking a photograph and then condemning the outcome on Facebook when it goes wrong.
“I also don’t want to see this descend into another manufactured row between Sinn Féin and Unionism, where both sides have a sham fight for their party members and the practical concerns of Newry residents and businesses get lost in the middle.
“The question isn’t whether Orange culture can exist in Newry. The question is how parades can take place while protecting access to homes and ensuring businesses aren’t repeatedly expected to absorb the financial cost.
“We should also look at practical compromises. Where possible, could parades be scheduled outside core trading hours? Could routes and traffic management be designed to maintain better access to homes and businesses?
“That is why I believe we need something more substantial than another round of political condemnation. The Council should establish a formal mechanism for gathering the experiences of affected residents and traders, assessing the cumulative impact of parades and ensuring that evidence forms part of representations ahead of significant future events.
“Saturday should prompt a serious review of how the cumulative impact of parades on Newry is considered. Local residents and businesses should have a meaningful voice before decisions are made, rather than simply being left to deal with the consequences afterwards.
“Newry has shown respect and tolerance for other traditions. It is not too much to ask that the same be shown to Newry in return.”
ENDS