Flanagan's remarks fuel Garvaghy fears
By Laura Friel
In what appears to be a green light to loyalist extremists, RUC
Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan has said he will push the 5 July
Orange parade through the nationalist Garvaghy Road if Orangemen
repeat their mass intimidation campaign of 1996.
Interviewed for a US television documentary, Flanagan said he
would overrule any decision to re-route the parade by the Parades
Commission despite the Commission's ruling being legally binding
on public order grounds.
The interview with the Los Angeles-based `One Thousand Lights
Productions' is to be shown on American TV later this year.
During the interview Flanagan was asked ``If the Parades
Commission rules against the Orange Order with respect to
marching down Garvaghy Road, and if the Spirit of Drumcree masses
thousands there again, threatening to use - as they have said on
record they would - whatever means necessary to force the march
down, will the RUC let them through?'' ``Absolutely,'' replied
Flanagan.
He later claimed he was quoted out of context. Transcripts of the
RUC Chief's comments have been made available to the Dublin,
British and American governments.
Garvaghy Residents' spokesperson Breandan MacCionnaith pointed
out that if Flanagan was prepared to say this on American TV,
``you can be sure he's saying the same thing to the Commission and
to the British government itself.'' MacCionnaith accused the RUC
boss of ``encouraging Joel Patton and the Spirit of Drumcree.'' The
message Flanagan is giving to the Orange Order is ``threaten force
and you'll get your way,'' said MacCionnaith. The current Chief
Constable is saying if loyalists threaten the nationalist
community of Garvaghy with violence, ``he has no intention
whatsoever of upholding the law and protecting the lives and
property of Portadown nationalists.''
Meanwhile there is growing evidence that Loyalists are planning
another `siege of Drumcree' if the Parades Commission rules the
Orange Order march of 5 July should be re-routed away from the
nationalist Garvaghy Road. Leaflets and posters urging mass
demonstrations have been distributed throughout many loyalist
estates in the Six Counties. Loyalists are believed to be
organising a mass rally to block access to Belfast's
International Airport at Aldergrove.
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