Residents hope for calm as marching tensions rise

Residents in west Belfast have urged unionist and loyalist leaders to use their influence to maintain calm at a contentious Orange Order parade this weekend.

The Parades Commission has re-routed the march away from the nationalist Springfield Road due to breaches of its guidelines at last year’s parade and the Orange Order’s refusal to speak to local residents.

A newly-formed "forum" of unionists and loyalists met the residents last night in an effort to get the re-routing overturned, but the talks ended without agreement.

A spokesman for the residents, Sean Paul O’Hare, said he was still hopeful that Saturday’s parade would be peaceful and that the forum would agree to more long-term dialogue.