Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“The outrageous decision of the Parades Commission to ban the return parade passed the Ardoyne shops has understandable grabbed the headlines. However, the bizarre decision to also ban a parade in Castlederg due to take place before an 11th Night Bonfire also deserves media scrutiny.
“I have been contacted by members of Castlederg Young Loyalists Flute Band who are baffled and rightly outraged by the Commission’s decision to ban their parade along a section of a road which is overwhelmingly Protestant.
“There has been no controversy surrounding parades there in the past and the band suspect that the Commission’s decision is the result of pressure from Sinn Fein. I understand that a local Unionist politician has made representations to the Commission following news of the restrictions placed on the parade but these were dismissed.
“I am calling on the Parades Commission – even at this late stage – to reverse their foolish decision and allow the parade to go ahead.”
