Sir, - John Robb and David Porter call on Catholic residents to enter into dialogue on the matter of Orange parades (March 31st and April 1st). In this day and age, would anyone suggest that a Jewish community in Bonn or Berlin should negotiate about a neo Nazi parade through its neighbourhood, or an Asian community in Britain about a National Front demonstration, or a Black community in the USA about a Ku Klux Klan parade? Would an AOH or GAA parade be allowed to pass through a Protestant district?
In three years time it will be the year 2,000, yet Catholics in Ballymena are told that if they are to be allowed to practice their religion, Orangemen must be allowed to hold a parade through a Catholic village. I suggest to David Porter and Evangelical Contribution on Northern Ireland that instead of preaching to Catholic residents, they should go up to Harryville and try preaching to the horde of bigots who stand outside the Catholic church on Saturday evening, shouting foul abuse, singing offensive songs, throwing stones, drinking and sometimes urinating in front of Mass goers.-Yours, etc.,
Foxrock,
Dublin 18.