Appeal for peaceful Belfast parade

Trade unionists have appealed for a peaceful Covenant Centenary parade on Saturday when tens of thousands are set to march through Belfast.

After the Parades Commission imposed restrictions on marchers and on protesters, there have been widespread calls for calm on all sides.

Recent tensions have focused on the behaviour of bandsmen outside St Patrick’s Church on Donegall St in the north of the city.

But parade organisers have pledged to ensure the section of the route passes off peacefully, while they have also asked that observers focus on the wider historical significance of the event.

Now the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trades Unions (ICTU) added its voice to the appeals for a peaceful day, but it also asked communities to focus on issues that unite them, including the pressures of the economy.

ICTU assistant general secretary Peter Bunting said: “The right to free assembly is precious and essential for all citizens, one that the trade union movement both supports and enjoys, as we will be marching next month against the austerity measures of the Westminster Government.

“It is a fact that most inter-communal conflict affects working class areas and involves working class communities. Appreciative of the sensitivities of the main communities on how they view parading, it is crucial to remember that we have more in common in these times of economic depressions than we have in difference.

“Rioting and other forms of public disorder damage our fragile community infrastructure and our embryonic tourist industry, contributing to decreased economic opportunities.”

He added: “In the midst of these upheavals, those most affected are public sector workers in the police and emergency services and private sector workers in retail and services, most of whom come from the same working class background.

“As we enter the start of this decade of centenaries, working people should remember that many times over the past 100 years, others with interests of their own have fomented and stoked sectarianism as a means of dividing working people from the pursuit of their common interest.

“NIC-ICTU takes this opportunity to call on those who are frustrated, angry and victims of austerity measures emanating from the Westminster Government to come out and join their trade union brothers and sisters rallying against the cuts in welfare, education, health and other public services on Saturday October 20.”