Another depressing marching season?

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JULY 7. A massive security operation was underway in Northern Ireland today as tension mounted ahead of Sunday's banned Orange Order parade in Portadown - a flashpoint for sectarian violence every year around this time as Protestant Orangemen, recreating an old tradition, insist on marching through the predominantly Catholic estate on Garvaghy Road.

The route of the march has been turned into a ``no man's land'' to prevent either side from approaching it amid a police warning that ``only one spark'' could ignite the situation. For the fourth consecutive year, the Orangemen have been refused permission to take out the march but there were fears that, as in the past, they would try and defy the ban which could provoke retaliation resulting in the all-too-familiar clashes. Troops were standing by today as securitymen erected barriers to block the marchers, even as a number of local residents, apprehending trouble, were reported to be leaving the area.

The funeral on Sunday of a Catholic teenager, who was killed two days earlier allegedly by Protestant militants, is likely to add to the tension and a senior police officer said: ``We are preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best.'' This morning, soldiers setting up barriers were stoned by supporters of the Orange parade in what was seen as a prelude to a confrontation tomorrow.

Newspapers reported that thousands of families from both communities had timed their holidays to escape the ``violence and mayhem'' associated with the Orange parade. Local airports and ferry ports were expected to be crammed with people fleeing the trouble-prone areas, some of which were already bristling with tension. There were fears that militants might block exit routes to airports and stations prompting many to leave their homes early, one newspaper said.

``Tens of thousands of people have simply left the country having decided to time their holidays to coincide with Drumcree,'' The Independent said. One woman told The Times that the disruption caused by the confrontation over the march made ``life impossible for the kids'' and therefore she had decided to take them on a holiday. ``There was a time when we thought that the peace agreement would end all of this. But that doesn't seem to have worked and anyone with any sense would be getting out,'' said another.

Observers noted a change in public mood pointing out that, compared to the past, there was now widespread weariness and people did not want any disruption of their normal lives. Barring the hardcore, others wanted to get on with their lives. Parents seemed particularly worried about the traumatic effect of such confrontation over their children. Significantly, most of the families, who have decided not to be present in Portadown tomorrow, are those with small children.

The march this year comes amid a deep political crisis with the peace process in real danger following Mr. David Trimble's resignation as head of the provincial Government to force the IRA to start disarming. Chances of a breakthrough during yet another ``summit'' called by the British and Irish Governments next week look slim as the republicans showed no sign of relenting on decommissioning. Mr. Trimble said on Friday that he was not optimistic about the outcome of the talks to be held at a secluded venue in Shropshire to avoid the ``pressures'' of Northern Ireland politics. The media would be kept away to allow the participants to concentrate on the issue at hand. A similar strategy during a previous crisis had worked, and the Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr. John Reid hoped that a ``change of scene might help.''

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Section  : International
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