Religious Apartheid



The Daily Record ran an interesting article in the wake of Glasgow's recent Orange march which has promoted Jim Murphy MP to call for a planned parade in September to be cancelled.

Now I'm all in favour of people's right to peaceful assembly and public protest, but the problem with the Orangemen is, of course, that only certain categories of citizen are entitled to attend their 'cultural' celebrations.

The reality is that these are elitist events which celebrate in a triumphalist way the 'victory' of one part of a community over another, yet have nothing to say about the many years of sectarian behaviour and discrimination which followed, resulting in the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland.   

For years Northern Ireland's Catholics could not get jobs with some of Belfast's best known and best paid employers and though some sought to make excuses at the time, this was all down to religious apartheid.    

So while I'm not religious myself, I do object to these bogus 'community events' which are designed to exclude particular groups while emphasising divisions and battles from centuries ago.

And I would say the same if a public event was organised to deliberately exclude Jews, Muslims, Protestants or Sikhs.      

Orange walk horror: Help catch thugs who glassed 12-year-old Kellsie who was left gashed by a flying bottle

By Sally Hind - The Daily Record

MP Jim Murphy has called for an Orange march planned for the run-up to the independence referendum to be cancelled in the wake of Saturday's trouble which saw Kellsie Lynch gashed by a flying bottle.

Photo - Wullie Marr/DEADLINE NEWS

Kellsie Lynch clutches her woulnds after being struck by a flying bottle

POLICE are appealing for help to find the thugs who left a schoolgirl covered in blood at an Orange walk.

Kellsie Lynch, 12, was gashed by a flying bottle when a fight broke out as she watched the parade at Glasgow Green .

She was taken to Yorkhill hospital in Glasgow, where she needed treatment for cuts to her face.

Police urged anyone with information to get in touch.

A spokesman said: “The girl was watching the Orange walk when a number of people nearby, who were unconnected with her, became involved in a fight which resulted in her being struck with a bottle or similar object.



“A 22-year-old female accompanying the girl was also struck and sustained a cut to her 
hand.”

Yesterday, MP Jim Murphy said an Orange march planned for the run-up to the independence referendum should be cancelled in the wake of Saturday’s trouble.

The former Scots Secretary said the violence was a “scar on Glasgow”.

Wullie Marr/DEADLINE NEWS

A young girl is seriously injured during the disturbance at Glasgow green.

The East Renfrewshire Labour MP added: “I am disgusted. The march before the referendum vote shouldn’t go ahead. Better Together want nothing to do with the Orange Order.”

About 4500 marchers took part in the County Grand Orange Order parade in Glasgow and there were 4000 spectators.

Eighteen people were arrested for public disorder offences at the city event and 10 more at a parade in Blantyre, Lanarkshire.

Eddy Hyde, Grand Secretary of the Orange Lodge for Scotland, was horrified by Kellsie’s injuries.

Kellsie was treated in hospital for cuts to her face

But he vowed to go ahead with a British Together rally on September 13 in Edinburgh.

He said: “I really feel for the young girl and I hope they catch the perpetrator. You can’t condone actions and violence like that.”

Hyde was confident there would be no trouble at the September march.

He said: “I don’t foresee any problems in Edinburgh. Jim is just scaremongering.”

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