Orange march through Derry turned down by Commission

The Parades Commission in North has ruled that the twelfth Orange March in Derry will not be allowed pas the river Foyle and into the centre of the city.

The decision was made because the Order had refused to discuss the issue with the Bogside’s Resident Group, who represent the Nationalist community in the area.

The ruling is sure to further upset Loyalists in the North, who have already seen the preferred route on the Drumcree march turned down.

Ten thousand members of the 70 county lodges had filed to hold their annual parade in the Derry City centre up around the war memorial in the diamond.

The refusal by the Orange Order, despite pleas from leading local church and businessmen, to talk to the residents group means that only one local lodge will be allowed to follow their planned route into the centre.

Two other Loyalist groups, the Apprentice Boys and the Royal Black Preceptory, have both met with the local residents and as a result, the planned protests against their marches have been called off.