Commenting on the Parade Commission’s determination on the Drumcree parade today, Eóin Tennyson MLA, Alliance Party Deputy Leader, said:
“The deeply painful history of the Drumcree dispute has had a lasting impact on local residents and community relations.
“I have argued that restrictions should remain in place to allow more time for mediation. While I am disappointed that the Parades Commission has reached a different conclusion, I am calling on all concerned to act responsibly, engage respectfully and abide by the conditions set out.
“There is now a bigger question for the Orange Order. Having established the right to parade, will it now reflect on whether exercising that right in these circumstances is the right thing to do? Refraining from doing so would demonstrate grace and generosity, and a commitment to good relations.
“Those of us in public life have a particular responsibility to lower the temperature, avoid inflammatory rhetoric and resist reopening old wounds.
“A generation has grown up without the division and confrontation of the Drumcree years. We should not allow this moment to pull our community backwards. Our shared responsibility is to protect that progress and continue building a peaceful, shared future for everyone.”
“The deeply painful history of the Drumcree dispute has had a lasting impact on local residents and community relations.
“I have argued that restrictions should remain in place to allow more time for mediation. While I am disappointed that the Parades Commission has reached a different conclusion, I am calling on all concerned to act responsibly, engage respectfully and abide by the conditions set out.
“There is now a bigger question for the Orange Order. Having established the right to parade, will it now reflect on whether exercising that right in these circumstances is the right thing to do? Refraining from doing so would demonstrate grace and generosity, and a commitment to good relations.
“Those of us in public life have a particular responsibility to lower the temperature, avoid inflammatory rhetoric and resist reopening old wounds.
“A generation has grown up without the division and confrontation of the Drumcree years. We should not allow this moment to pull our community backwards. Our shared responsibility is to protect that progress and continue building a peaceful, shared future for everyone.”