Hundreds protest at republican parade

Hundreds of people have protested at a controversial IRA parade in the North.

The Tyrone Volunteers Day demonstration in Castlederg — a town close to the Irish border and repeatedly targeted by bombers — commemorated republicans who died during the violent conflict, including two men killed by their own device.

The loyalist protest passed off relatively peacefully.

Unionist victims’ campaigners waved fading black and white photos of younger loved ones killed during the troubles. With memories still fresh some shouted angrily and two demonstrators temporarily broke through a security barrier amid emotional scenes in Co Tyrone.

The mainly middle-aged crowd was separated by a line of police officers from republicans, who numbered several hundred and included bandsmen, supporters and banner-carriers.

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers had urged organisers to call off the march, saying it was causing great hurt to victims of terrorism. One loyalist victims’ campaigner, David Kerrigan, said: “There is no use talking to them, they have set relations back in this town 20 years.”

The parade followed Friday night’s loyalist violence in Belfast city centre when 56 PSNI officers were hurt by flying masonry.

Castlederg, close to the border in the region’s west, was one of the most bombed towns during the conflict and the Sinn Féin-organised demonstration came on the 40th anniversary of the death of two IRA men killed by their own explosives in the town they intended to target.

Unionists said the march was deeply insensitive but Sinn Féin argued the town centre should be a shared space. Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the intention was not to glorify terrorism.

Gerry Kelly, Sinn Féin Stormont Assemblyman for North Belfast and former top IRA member, said: “As a republican we don’t expect unionists to accept our view of history and neither should they expect me to accept their view of history.” He said while unionists remembered the world war dead and victims of the Troubles, republicans also wanted to commemorate those who died.