DRUMCREE ORANGE ORDER

Early day motion 620, tabled 7 May 1999 by Ken Livingstone (Labour). Signed by 34 members.

That this House is deeply concerned that since the re-routing of the Drumcree Orange Order parade in July 1998, the residents of the Garvaghy Road area of Portadown have seen their solicitor, Rosemary Nelson murdered and been subjected to a virtually continuous series of legal and illegal pro-Orange Order protests in which one police officer has been murdered by Loyalists, local residents have been injured or forced to leave their homes and Catholic businesses have been destroyed by arsonists; recalls the last newspaper interview with Rosemary Nelson in which she pointed out that the law was being flouted by pro-Orange Order protestors in Portadown; welcomes the meeting between the Right honourable member for Upper Bann and the local residents to try to solve the crisis; deplores the decision of the local Orange Order to continue to refuse to meet local residents and their announcement of daily marches in the run-up to this year's 4th July Drumcree Parade; and urges Her Majesty's Government to make clear that it will vigorously uphold the right enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement for the residents of the Garvaghy Road and all other residents in Northern Ireland to live free from sectarian harassment and will uphold the rule of law this year at Drumcree.

Signatures by party: Labour 29, Labour/Co-operative 2, Conservative 1, Liberal Democrat 1, Plaid Cymru 1.