Parade due in flashpoint area

An Easter commemoration parade has taken place in a flashpoint area of north Belfast.

Restrictions have been placed on the route of the parade in the Whitewell and Bawnmore areas of the city amid fears of public disorder.

Sectarian violence has flared in parts of north Belfast in recent months, with frequent clashes between Catholics and Protestants.

The route for which the organiser has applied is contentious in part

Parades Commission

Last Monday, the Parades Commission ruled that the parade should not take its notified route along Serpentine Gardens.

It would instead proceed from the Whitewell Road into Whitewell Crescent, Serpentine Road, Vandyck Gardens and back into Whitewell Road.

The Parades Commission said the proposed route had included interface areas at Serpentine Gardens and the junction of the Whitewell Road and Shore Road.

"The commission understands that this part of Belfast has recently been subject to increased sectarian violence and unrest, which has placed a considerable strain on community relations in the Whitewell area," it said.

"The route for which the organiser has applied is contentious in part, as it includes Serpentine Gardens and the junction of the Whitewell Road and Shore Road.

"The commission has cause to believe that should the parade process its entire notified route, there will be an adverse effect on community relations and potential for public disorder."

Opposition

Meanwhile, the commission has barred a loyal order Easter Monday parade from the nationalist lower Ormeau area of Belfast.

The commission ruled that the contentious annual parade by the Protestant Apprentice Boys of Derry would not be allowed to cross the Ormeau Bridge from the upper part of the Ormeau Road into the mainly Catholic lower Ormeau area.

The decision last Monday evening followed opposition from nationalist residents from the lower Ormeau area.

Last year, the commission gave permission for the parade to go ahead along the contentious route, but it was called off because of the foot-and-mouth disease restrictions.

The Northern Ireland Parades Commission was set up in 1997 to make decisions on whether controversial parades should be restricted.