NORTHERN IRELAND: ORANGE MAN PARADE STAND OFF CONTINUES скачать в хорошем качестве

NORTHERN IRELAND: ORANGE MAN PARADE STAND OFF CONTINUES

(11 Jul 1996) Natural Sound Police and Protestant groups continued their standoff at Drumcree near Portadown in Northern Ireland into Wednesday night / Thursday morning. However, Belfast was quieter than over the past few nights, although there were some outbreaks of the violence which marred the previous 48 hours. But there are fears of more trouble tonight Thursday when loyalists traditionally take to the streets lighting bonfires and parading in advance of the July 12th main parades across the country. Riot police stood by as the standoff continued into Thursday morning The several thousand Orange Order demonstrators showed no sign of leaving their positions in the County Armagh village of Drumcree. For four days it has been the focal point of a standoff with the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The Protestant, or loyalist, Orangemen are in a face to face dispute with the police and British soldiers over an R-U-C (Royal Ulster Constabulary) ban on a marching route used by the Orange Order. Drumcree's tiny church marks the beginning of the return route the Orange Order wish to use, but the police banned the Order from using the route as it passes through a predominantly Catholic area. The Orange Order has more than 80-thousand members and is named after William of Orange, a Protestant Prince of Holland who defeated the Catholic King James of Britain in the 17th century. Addressed by the Reverend Ian Paisley, fiery Protestant leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, they are determined they'll sit this out for days, weeks - or even a month. The situation is expected to get worse when up to one hundred thousand Orangemen are expected to converge on Drumcree ready for July 12th, the most important date in the Northern Ireland Protestant calendar. But police are standing by. There are also police reinforcements on the streets of Belfast. Compared to the last two nights though, the capital was fairly quiet - although sporadic confrontations occurred when gangs of youths set fire to buildings, targetting Catholic businesses. But many areas were quiet. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...