The 2002 TWELFTH CELEBRATION—NOT PROVOCATION 1690—2002: 312th Anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne NO SURRENDER! HE TWELFTH is Europe’s largest T indigenous cul- tural and folk festival. For tens of thousands of Ulsterfolk the colour, crack, noise and atmos- phere of the Orange pa- rades are the highlight of the year. The 12th July celebrations are a social, communal and commemorative event. No one should be of- fended by it. However, pan-Irish national chau- vinists – Sinn Féin, the SDLP, Leinster House and elements of the Today, one only has to their Hibernian culture. They talk about an Catholic church – claim ‘Ireland of equals’ but look at the trouble in All peoples and na- that the Twelfth is a the truth is that they North Belfast to see that tions have the right to ‘sectarian coat trailing don’t want a Prod about this anti-Protestant ha- preserve their unique exercise.’ Some go even the place. In 1934, De- tred and bigotry hasn’t identity. To those pan- further and claim that Valera declared that gone away. It still exists. Irish national chauvin- Ulster Protestants have Éire would be ‘a Catho- Secondly, many pan- ists who would deny the no culture. Why? lic country for a Catho- Irish national chauvin- right of Ulster Protes- There are two main lic people’. And Catho- ists cannot – or will not tants to celebrate their reasons. Firstly, many lic sects like Maria try to - understand the heritage and culture, we pan-Irish national chau- Duce flew a Green, mindset of Ulster Prot- have a simple message. vinists are Orangeopho- White and Gold tricol- estants. All they want is Your anti-Protestant big- bic – they have an irra- our – Gold for them an all-embracing ‘one- otry is wrong – and your tional fear and loathing representing the su- size fits all’ Catholic cultural imperialism will of Ulster Protestants. premacy of the Papacy. Gaelic culture. They are be resisted. That old They are simply bigots For them Protestants cultural imperialists who slogan is still relevant - who just hate ‘Huns’. were beneath contempt. tolerate no dissent from No Surrender! Read The Twelfth on-line. Visit www.the-twelfth.org.uk/ The Twelfth: Celebration not Provocation 2002 www.ulsternation.org.uk/ Page 1 END THE REPUBLICAN BLOCKADE! YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE Let the Ballynafeigh Orangemen walk! OR OVER one hun- chauvinists have become mas- dred years, Bally- ters of the dark arts of political nafeigh Orangemen spin-doctoring through years F of practice. They can raise have walked in peace from millions of dollars through their Orange Hall on the Or- their worldwide distribution meau Road to join the vari- network, mostly from gullible ous main traditional demon- Americans who have more BRIGHT SUNSHINE greets Ballynafeigh Orangemen and their loyal strations in Belfast City cen- money than sense. comrades, LOL 17 from Larkhall, Scotland. This was the scene at last tre. However, they don’t always year’s Twelfth, as the Orange peacefully attempted to walk the length However, since 1995 they get things going their own way. of the Ormeau Road. Again the Parades Commission ruled that Bally- nafeigh district could not use this route to join the main Belfast dem- have been stopped from at- The embarrassing Provo links tending various Orange walks onstration. with the ultra-leftist Colom- The bizarre and arbitrary nature of Parades Commission decisions and Church services. The bian terror group, FARC, have th was vividly illustrated over the last year. In Easter 2001, the Appren- main 12 July Celebrations, left Gerry Adams floundering. tice Boys of Derry were given permission to walk the Ormeau Road – st the ‘mini-Twelfth’ - held on 1 For the first time in ages, the although the ABoD called off their planned parade due to the out- July to remember the blood republicans have been shown break of Foot and Mouth disease. A few months later the Parades sacrifice of thousands of Ul- in a bad light in North Amer- Commission refused the Orange Order’s request to walk the same stermen at the Somme - the ica. Unionists could have had road. annual Orange Widows ser- a field day if they had the me- This year, the Commission refused permission for the Apprentice vice and small Church pa- dia savvy but they haven’t Boys to walk the road on Easter Monday. What’s going on here? rades have all been targeted. pressed home their temporary This situation has not come advantage. Republican cheer- about by accident. Pan-Irish leaders in the US like Fr Sean IT’S GOOD TO TALK national chauvinists know that McManus are already doing all Mr. WILLIAM CALDWELL, an Orangeman from Ballynafeigh meets the IRA were unable to break in their power to bury this Rabbi Mayer Schiller from New York. Inspired by reading The Faithful the resolution of Ulsterfolk in story. We can be sure that Tribe by Ruth Dudley Edwards, Rabbi Schiller has twice visited Ulster on fact finding missions. Mr. Caldwell explained why Orangemen 25 years of bombing and kill- they will hype up more stories should be allowed to walk ing. Their sectarian and impe- about rampaging Orange mobs from Ballynafeigh Orange rialist ‘Hot War’ gave way to a in the coming weeks of the Hall along the Ormeau war of cultural position – a ‘marching season’. Road to Belfast City Centre. new ‘Cold War’. Gerry Adams, We can learn a lesson from He noted that the ‘Lower’ at an internal republican meet- this. This new ‘cold war’ is Ormeau Road doesn’t exist ing in 1997, confirmed this largely media driven. To have and slammed the intransi- new strategy. Talking about any chance of success in coun- gence of the Sinn Féin the targeting of another tradi- tering the anti-Orange hate- front-group, ‘Lower’ Or- tional Orange walk – Drum- mongers, their defenders will meau Concerned Citizens. cree – he noted: “Ask any ac- have to be careful in their lan- Glenwood Publications – tivist in the North if Drumcree guage. They will have to ex- the publishers of The happened by accident and plain their principles and tra- Twelfth – intend to produce they will tell you ‘No’. Three ditions in the simplest of a booklet aimed at North America, which will look at traditional Orange walks. This booklet, in years of hard work went into terms. They will have to re- part, will feature the discussion between Mr. Caldwell and Rabbi creating that situation; and peat their key words and Schiller. For an earlier interview with Rabbi Schiller see issue 32 of fair play to those people who phrases constantly to show Third Way magazine or visit www.ulsternation.org.uk put the work in. These are the that the Orange Order is sim- type of scene changes that we ply a traditionalist Protestant have to focus on, develop; and fraternal organisation which exploit.” seeks to offend no-one and THE FACE OF HATE Pan-Irish national chauvin- that Catholics have nothing to ists in South Belfast have fear from Orange walks. These GERARD RICE is the main spokesman for the Sinn Féin front-group, worked very hard to bring celebrate the achievement of ‘Lower’ Ormeau Road Concerned about the ‘scene changes’ that civil and religious liberties for Citizens. In the late 1980s he was jailed for IRA membership Adams spoke about. These all. and arms offences. Pan-Irish ‘scene changes’ include suc- The truth is that hatemongers national chauvinists like Gerard cessfully twisting the English operating in the lower end of Rice falsely claims that Orange language (so that peaceful and the Ormeau Road have suc- walks are ‘sectarian coat-trailing traditional Orange walks are ceeded in blockading it against exercises’. This is a lie. As any- now viewed as ‘sectarian coat their neighbours because they one knows, the 12th July celebra- trailing exercises’) and con- don’t like how Orangemen tions are generally held in a car- vincing the world that there is celebrate their traditions, how nival atmosphere. Noise, colour, a ‘Lower’ Ormeau Road – a they dress, what music they crack and banter are an impor- Catholic road in its own right! play and the way they conduct tant ingredient of Europe’s larg- The people behind this mas- themselves on the way to their est indigenous folk and cultural sive orangeophobic propa- place of worship. Ballynafeigh festival. On the Twelfth day, ganda onslaught cannot be Orangemen have every right to hatemongers like Gerard Rice are the real sectarian bigots – dismissed as a bunch of walk the length of the Ormeau not the thousands of participants ‘ignorant mad paddies’. Far Road. It’s high time that the and onlookers. from it! Pan-Irish national- blockade was lifted! The Twelfth: Celebration not Confrontation 2002 www.the-twelfth.org.uk/ Page 2 WHAT THE TWELFTH MEANS TO ME WHY DO Protestants celebrate on the 12th July? Is it simply just an excuse for an Ulster-wide ‘booze-up’ and a chance to rub Catholic noses in the dirt? Or does it represent something much deeper? Here, Jerry from Castle- caulfield in Co. Tyrone, explores the culturally conservative values that underpin the Twelfth. His Co. Tyrone “country Twelfth” is a “social, communal and commemorative” event. He acknowledges that the Twelfth is a tri- umphant occasion – but not a celebration of Catholic subjugation. For as Jerry notes: “for thirty years Orange- men ourselves have been the subjugated. It is rather the triumph of the underdog, an entire community celebrat- ing our own survival in the face of midnight assassination, of economic war and of the state sponsored anti- Protestant discrimination… It is a celebration of our community, our shared heritage, our place in the world”.