Belfast Orange march abandoned

Security chiefs, political and community leaders have appealed for calm after the Protestant Orange Order abandoned plans for today's contentious parade through west Belfast.

The Orange Order's North and West Belfast Parades Forum decided to postpone the march in the Whiterock area after the Parades Commission rerouted it.

Northern Ireland's Parades Commission refused to lift restrictions on the parade, despite several attempts by the Orange Order to overturn it.

About 850 Orangemen and 18 bands had been instructed not to pass through security gates at Workman Avenue onto the Springfield Road in west Belfast, and to pass through the former Mackie's engineering site instead.

It is believed the forum will now stage a protest parade in the Shankill area instead.

A statement from the North and West Parades Forum confirmed the parade will be postponed. The statement said: "This has been an extremely difficult decision for our community to make.

"There has been a deliberate attempt to humiliate and demean our community and we are aware of the deep hurt that has been caused to our people."

The forum's statement also accused Sinn Féin of telling lies about the talks process in the run up to the march.

It stated: "As a result the suspension of all cross community contact has begun."

The commission had said it could not review its original ruling as it has not received any new information.

Belfast's police commander, Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland, had led appeals for calm during the march.

Both Sinn Féin and Democratic Unionist representatives had also urged their supporters to behave peacefully during the march.

Tensions in Belfast over contentious marches have been high since trouble erupted after an Orange Order parade in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast eight days ago, when nationalist youths clashed with police.