Two wrongs will not make it right
Foster’s plea as parades body swamped after funeral row
ARLENE Foster has urged loyalists to stick to the rules in the wake of Michelle O’neill’s controversial appearance alongside thousands of mourners at an IRA veteran’s funeral — warning that “two wrongs don’t make a right”.
The Parades Commission has been deluged by march applications from bands after the Deputy First Minister joined throngs of republicans at IRA man Bobby Storey’s funeral.
Rival politicians have called on Ms O’neill to resign after she was accused of breaching the coronavirus regulations she had previously endorsed.
First Minister Mrs Foster called on her to apologise, but as bands took to the streets again last night, both the DUP leader and Orange Order urged the public not to follow them.
MORE than 50 band parades are planned across Northern Ireland to mark the Twelfth — with more expected to be announced in the coming days.
The Parades Commission has been swamped with notifications from bands outlining their intention to march on July 13.
By 7pm last night the body’s website had 53 proposed parades listed.
In each case it relates to a parade by one band with a maximum of 30 participants.
A small number of bands also plan to march on July 11 and July 12, which this year falls on a Sunday.
A community group in Larne has said it is planning an Eleventh Night bonfire.
Yesterday the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland restated its position that Twelfth parades will not take place this year.
It said it was aware some bands were applying for parades within their communities for the purpose of entertaining people in their gardens and at their front doors.
Last night a handful of parades — each involving a single band — took place across Northern Ireland to mark the anniversary of the Somme. They included parades in Belfast, Bangor, Newtownards and Mid Ulster.
The Parades Commission had said it is now accepting notifications after the Executive said up to 30 people can gather outdoors after lockdown restrictions were relaxed.
Earlier this week the Belfast Telegraph revealed the Attorney General had informed the body that it had no power to prevent parades from taking place.
Some have called for parades and Eleventh Night bonfires to go ahead after the funeral of veteran republican Bobby Storey saw thousands of people line the streets of west Belfast on Tuesday.
A picture posted on social media, which has since been deleted, showed Michelle O’neill, who has denied the funeral broke the health regulations, posing for a selfie close to two men, one of whom had his arm on her shoulder. She has admitted it was a mistake.
The PSNI has said it is examining footage from the funeral for breaches of the regulations.
First Minister Arlene Foster said she accepted the presence of the Deputy First Minister, along with several other senior
Sinn Fein figures, at the funeral had created a problem for the Orange Order.
Yesterday it repeated its message for people to celebrate at home.
The Orange Order announced in April that it would be cancelling demonstrations this year due to the pandemic.
Mrs Foster said: “I think a lot of people will look at that (funeral) and ask why have we been restricting ourselves.
“I have to say the leadership of the Orange Order, and indeed the Black Preceptory and the Apprentice Boys, have been very clear — that they want to protect the community they live in. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
Community groups also appear to be making plans to hold Eleventh Night bonfires.
The PSNI is set to meet with a representative of Craigyhill Community Group in Larne after it posted on Facebook that it was holding a bonfire and had been making “500 kids packs” for the event.
Rev Mervyn Gibson (above), grand secretary of the Orange Order, said the official position of the organisation has not changed in light of Mr Storey’s funeral.
“The Orange Order cancelled the Twelfth of July so as not to bring crowds onto the streets, because crowds spread coronavirus,” he told this newspaper.
Describing the large crowds at Mr Storey’s funeral as “wrong”, Mr Gibson added: “Because someone else does wrong doesn’t mean we have to follow suit.
“We have the health of our membership and the whole of Northern Ireland to prioritise.” He stressed the Order holds the same position on bonfires, adding people understand that crowds should not gather in groups larger than 30.
In a statement, the Orange Order said it is aware parades are intending to march adhering to the social distancing guidelines “for the purpose of entertaining people in their gardens and at their front doors”.
“Bands have rightly asked members of the public not to follow them. Instead, they have encouraged a ‘stay at home’ message with the band bringing music to them. This is a model the institution would support as it complements our ‘Twelfth at Home’ campaign.”
The Order said its “position has been consistent — we have sought to protect the health of not only our members, but the whole community in Northern Ireland”.
“Unfortunately, others supposedly in positions of authority, by their recent actions have not shown the same leadership or concern for public health,” it added.
Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, who represented several bands which had been previously ordered by the Parades Commission to withdraw their notifications, said the PSNI must not “aggressively police” upcoming parades. “The Executive has no moral authority and many in the loyalist community are fed up with the perception it is one rule for republicans and quite another for loyalists,” he said.
The PSNI said it is “aware of discussions taking place in relation to celebrations around the Twelfth” and will work with partners and stakeholders to “put in place an appropriate and proportionate policing support in place for any events” in line with legislation at the time.
The Parades Commission said that parades are “subject to Covid-19 regulations”, the enforcement of which is a matter for the Executive and PSNI.
MICHELLE O’neill has defended her actions at the funeral of Bobby Storey, accusing her critics of trying to score political points.
The Deputy First Minister has faced calls to resign after she and senior Sinn Fein colleagues were among hundreds who gathered in west Belfast on Tuesday.
The controversy was aired during robust exchanges at Stormont yesterday as both leaders appeared for a scheduled evidence session before their Assembly scrutiny committee.
Mrs O’neill defended almost all of her actions.
She did acknowledge that a selfie taken at the cemetery of her posing close to two men, one of whom had his arm on her shoulder, “should not have happened”.
She said the photo happened in a “blink of an eye” as she was leaving the graveside.
“That should not have happened and I am absolutely OK to say that,” she said.
Mrs O’neill made clear she would not be quitting following the controversy.
She also declined the opportunity to apologise to anyone who might have contracted Covid-19 as a result of being among the crowds on Tuesday. The Deputy First Minister told committee members the things the funeral organisers could control, such as the size of the cortege and the numbers inside the church, were within the latest regulations.
She insisted the cortege was limited to 30 while social distancing inside the church was “exemplary”. It is understood more than 100 people were inside the church.
Contention surrounds the fact the guidelines Sinn Fein has cited in regard to observing Tuesday’s funeral service are still in draft format, and have not been formally signed off by the Executive.
The draft guidance allows
more people to attend church services than the limit of 10 that applied earlier in the lockdown.
However, the Diocese of Down and Connor has confirmed that its churches should still have been applying the 10 number restriction to funerals on Tuesday.
A statement from the diocese said it received updated guidance from The Executive Office on Tuesday evening.
During the committee evidence session, Mrs O’neill told MLAS: “I can stand over my actions. I have led through this pandemic from the front, I will continue to lead from the front and I continue to work within the regulations and encourage everybody to stick within the regulations and the guidance as we have set out.”
She added: “I do think it’s unfortunate that a lot of the charges that are being levelled towards me are political points scoring, as opposed to actually being about the rules.
“But that’s not to take away, I am being very clear, to anyone who’s lost throughout this pandemic, this has been an absolute nightmare.”
The Sinn Fein vice president added: “I can only control what’s within my gift.”
She said her party’s actions, such as live streaming the funeral and putting stewards on the roadside to stop people joining the cortege, had prevented the crowds reaching many thousands.
At points the hearing, which was supposed to be focused on the coronavirus response, turned into pointed exchanges between unionist and republican members about Mr Storey’s past and the origins of the Troubles.
Mrs Foster interjected after one such exchange. Noting her own family’s experience of the Troubles, she added: “We could all sit here and reminisce about things that have happened in the past.
“We’re supposed to be talking about the Covid-19 regulations, and how they have impacted on the people of Northern Ireland.”
Giving evidence alongside Mrs O’neill, the DUP leader voiced concern about the impact of the funeral scenes on Stormont’s public health message.
“I think the credibility of that message has been severely damaged as a result of what happened yesterday,” she said.
Ahead of the committee hearing, Mrs Foster said Mrs O’neill and other Sinn Fein members who attended had sent out a message of “do as I say and not as I do”.
“She needs to apologise and recognise the wrong that has been done, and she absolutely needs to make amends for what happened yesterday and take steps to try and build up that credibility again,” said Mrs Foster.
“Many people have had to go through mourning and grief during this time and haven’t had the comfort of people coming to their homes, they haven’t had the comfort of a full service. Yesterday they asked: ‘Well, why was that the case?’”