RUC defends handling of Loyalist parade

Police in Northern Ireland today defended their handling of a loyalist paramilitary group’s show of strength on Belfast’s Shankill Road at the weekend.

Sinn Fein councillor Fra McCann accused the RUC of facilitating Saturday’s march by the Ulster Defence Association which organisers claimed involved up to 10,000 people - some of them masked and wearing uniforms.

Saturday’s parade was staged to mark the first anniversary of the death of Jackie Coulter who was killed in last year’s loyalist paramilitary feud with the rival Ulster Volunteer Force.

Councillor McCann argued today: "This is the same organisation (the UDA) which is engaged in a pogrom against the nationalist community.

"Using the guise of various cover names this organisation has been involved in almost 200 bomb and gun attacks against nationalists including three killings.

"The RUC has consistently refused to come clean and admit that the UDA ceasefire is over. They have turned a blind eye to many of the attacks carried out by the UDA and last weekend we saw them facilitate a march in which thousands of UDA members participated.

"This once again demonstrates that the RUC, under any guise, will never be acceptable to the nationalist people."

The Ulster Defence Association is linked to the Ulster Freedom Fighters and includes in its ranks jailed loyalists Johnny Adair and Gary Smith.

The organisation last month withdrew support for the Good Friday Agreement but insisted its ceasefire remained intact.

However following the murders of Kieran Cummings in Antrim and Gavin Brett in Glengormley, as well as several pipe bomb attacks and street disorder in Belfast, its ceasefire has come under scrutiny from security chiefs in the province.

Fears that the parade might resurrect last year’s bloody feud with the rival loyalist UVF were not realised.

Following Councillor McCann’s statement, an RUC spokesman responded that the parade was "lawful" and it had done everything to ensure that it passed off without incident.

"This was a lawful parade. The organisers approached the Parades Commission who decided not to issue a determination," the spokesman said.

"The main policing objective was to ensure the parade passed off peacefully.

"The Chief Constable has sent a report on recent UDA activity to the Secretary of State."