A new low was reached yesterday in Derry City during the annual Apprentice Boys parade. A Larne based loyalist flute band had a PSNI escort around the city centre whilst wearing the insignia of the British regiment tasked with carrying out the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre.
Danny Morrison of the IRSP continues “Allowing a loyalist flute band wearing the insignia of those who carried out the Bloody Sunday massacre to march just hundreds of yards away from where the 1972 slaughter took place is blatant sectarian triumphalism. Footage on social media which shows Apprentice Boys and their supporters cheering and clapping the Clyde Valley Flute Band from Larne across the Craigavon Bridge into the West Bank is the ultimate insult to the people in the city.”
Mr Morrison continues “The organisers of yesterday’s parade, which the people of the North West accommodate each year, have a responsibility to come forward and explain why this was allowed to happen. Continuing to raise sectarian tensions is not in the interests of the people of Derry yet political unionism and loyalism seem intent on continuing down this path, driving a deeper wedge between community relations.”
Mr Morrison finishes “The IRSP puts engagement on contentious issues first and foremost, dialogue and mutual respect are the cornerstone of our strategy to resolve issues arising from the conflict. The actions of the applauding Apprentice Boys, cheering crowds and sectarian triumphalism of the loyalist flute band seriously damage any attempts to peacefully resolve any issues which may arise in the future.”
