Church calls for review of Orange Walk parade route

Members of a church where a priest was attacked as an Orange Walk passed have called for a review of future parade routes.

Canon Tom White had been speaking to parishioners outside St Alphonsus Church in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon when he was spat on twice before being lunged at by a man with a baton. Police Scotland are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

The Parish Pastoral Councils of St Mary’s and St Alphonsus’ have now called on Glasgow City Council to review the routes of three planned Orange Order parades due to pass the churches later this month and in August.

The city council condemned the incident and said a meeting would be held to look at parade procedures.

The parish council said: “Despite a police presence those involved in, and following the parade, were able to approach Canon Tom and the parishioners exiting the Church.

“This happened against a backdrop of sectarian singing and sectarian insults.

“He was verbally assaulted and spat upon a number of times and members of the congregation, many who are frail and elderly, were subjected to the same treatment.

“While we welcome the statement by the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, condemning the assaults on Canon Tom, as a community we are distressed and deeply saddened that in the 21st century we are unable to exercise human rights of freedom of association ...”