GARC CALL UPON CATHOLIC/NATIONALIST AND REPUBLICAN PEOPLE TO SUPPORT THE ARDOYNE COMMUNITY FOR THE TWELFTH OF JULY PARADE

On June 7th 2010, the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (G.A.R.C.) delivered a letter to a number of community groups and political parties who represent the Ardoyne community including, N/Belfast M.L.A., Gerry Kelly. Our letter offered dialogue and highlighted key findings of our survey in an attempt to map a peaceful way forward to Loyal Order marches in the area.

Instead of contacting us, the Junior British Minister once again launched into a clear attack on G.A.R.C. by issuing a statement to the media on June 19, 2010. His response erroneously accused G.A.R.C. of being ‘a self-styled, non-elected and unconstituted group, hell bent on provocation’ by erecting a mural clearly expressing the wishes of this community which stated, No Parades – No Violence. We take this opportunity to point out two planned actions which we abandoned, 1. To picket the offices @ Windsor House of the Parades Commission and to hand in a letter of protest (which we did do) around their past and future decisions to permit clearly unwelcome parades past our community (not shop fronts). 2. To hold a white-line picket on the Crumlin Road between 1pm and 2pm on the 18th June, hours before the Tour of the North parade? Where was the provocation in those strategies?

Q.  Is this not a true reflection of how we feel about this issue? If he is as serious as he claims, about stopping unwelcome marches. Why does he not ask his boss, Stormont’s Deputy First Minister to exercise his  power and end them now? As it doesn’t affect them or their immediate families, that's why!

Mr. Kelly also blamed us ‘of undermining other residents groups’ ie: C.A.R.A. Would he care to clarify why senior members of C.A.R.A. attended one of our meetings prior to the ‘Tour of the North’ march. The debate was an attempt to challenge contentious parades in a holistic manner. However, instead of adopting a unified approach, C.A.R.A. undermined the community after it forgot to mention they had already met with the North/West Belfast Parades Forum and were due to meet them the following day, Thursday 17th June. Of which the North/West walked out due to the common sense banning of the feeder parade. Who was being disingenuous on this occasion? GARC believe common sense NOT negotiations will resolve this issue. Our position is clear, No Parades – No Violence. So please march were you are welcome and leave us in peace!

Unlike Mr. Kelly and his Party’s past bankrupt strategy in preventing unwanted parades through our community and the annual riots which followed. Has been clear for all to see (complete failure). His verbal attacks to the media re: G.A.R.C. and then offering us the opportunity for a chat around parades or any other issue, NO thanks Gerry! Your comments made sure of that.

A common sense approach to forthcoming parades must prevail. To that end, G.A.R.C. take this opportunity to call upon all concerned Catholic/Nationalist and Republican people from near and far to come and stand shoulder to shoulder with the beleaguered Ardoyne community for the twelfth of July parade. Only together can we stop being treated as second-class citizens at the behest of sectarian bigots.

GARC'S LETTER TO SINN FEIN AND ITS NEGATIVE AND IMPERSONAL RESPONSE

Earlier Ardoyne  Resistance to Orange Parades

On June 7th 2010, The Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (G.A.R.C.) wrote and delivered the following letter to a number of community and political groups and Parties who represent the Ardoyne community. Including Sinn Fein's, North Belfast M.L.A., Gerry Kelly;

GREATER ARDOYNE RESIDENTS COLLECTIVE

Dear Sir/Madam,                                                                                           7th June 2010                       

I am writing to you on behalf of the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (G.A.R.C.) Our body is made up exclusively of local residents and has allegiance to no political parties or groups. We are residents NOT dissidents. Our aim is to ensure that the human rights of the people of greater Ardoyne are fully respected and that there is no repeat of the violence of recent years visited upon our community. It is our intention that the people of greater Ardoyne want simply to be left in peace and that existing Loyalist marches are re-routed away from our district.

In our opinion, the violence of July 2009 was inevitable given a number of factors. Firstly, the ignorance and arrogance of the Parades Commission to permit a Loyalist parade through a Nationalist area where it was not welcome. Secondly, the determination of the P.S.N.I. in forcing the parade through at all costs created an atmosphere were violence erupted. According to a recent FOI request, the cost of policing this parade was over £650,000. The cost to our community was even higher with three days of violence, police raids, fear and restriction on resident’s movements.

In order to ascertain what residents wanted done, G.A.R.C. in consultation with external researchers, carried out an extensive survey. The results were both significant and clear, some 99% of residents stated that the present arrangements were completely unacceptable and needed changed.

The key finding in this survey is that almost 90% of residents throughout greater Ardoyne find these contentious parades unacceptable in any form and want them re-routed. This survey was completed and signed by over 1100 individual households.

We are eager to engage in dialogue with persons from any political or community background to highlight the findings of the survey and attempt to map a peaceful way forward. We call upon your Party/Organisation to contact us and support our calls to end these unwanted sectarian marches and help us build a peaceful future. G.A.R.C. fully support the right of all groups to parade in a peaceful manner, as long as, they adhere to the human rights of others and march only where they would be welcome.

Only by standing together can we achieve this aim, so your support, physically at our pickets, protests, letters, e-mails etc, to the local media or through your Party paper/magazine etc will break the cycle of violence. Our motto is clear; No Parades - No Violence. Copies of the survey findings and an alternative proposed route are available upon request. Please feel free to contact us at the e-mail address at the top of this correspondence.

Yours faithfully the Secretary,
The Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective

Instead of directly contacting any representatives from G.A.R.C., Mr. Kelly strangely issued the following statement on June 19, 2010;


“I want to congratulate the residents group CARA (Crumlin Ardyone Residents Association) for the effective representation of the residents of Ardyone, Mountainview and the Dales on the issue of Friday’s Tour of the North Orange Parade.

They were instrumental in ensuring an almost incident free night for everyone in the area. CARA maintained the principle of dialogue throughout the year to achieve a peaceful outcome in this Loyal Order parade not passing through these nationalist and republican areas.

However after achieving a good result from the Parades Commission in barring this section of the parade, members of a self-styled group calling themselves the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (GARC) put up a large sign directly facing the Loyalist Twaddell Avenue which read “no parade, no violence”. They did this on the very evening that this section of the parade had been banned.

While all nationalist and republicans are against any of these Loyal Order parades going through or passing nationalist areas, this particular action carried out on the very day the parade was successfully banned, was no more than a deliberate attempt to provoke a reaction from Loyalists. I welcome the fact that no one reacted to this deliberate provocation. This resulted in a well deserved respite for both nationalist and unionist residents who live in the area.

There are a number of residents groups properly constituted and elected by the people to represent different parts of Greater Ardoyne. GARC is self-styled, non-elected and constituted, it would seem, for the sole purpose of undermining other residents groups and undermining possible peaceful resolutions to existing issues.

As an elected representative for the area I am prepared to speak to the member of GARC openly and honestly about any issues affecting the Greater Ardoyne area or indeed anything else they may wish to talk about. However, it must be said that so far this group seems entirely intent on confrontation with all that that entails for residents living in the area, instead of actually working to a peaceful resolution.”

Despite the unreceptive and negative response from Sinn Fein, G.A.R.C. remain 'ready to engage in dialogue with persons from any political or community background to highlight the findings of our survey and attempt to map a peaceful way forward'.....

GARC LETTER TO THE PARADES COMMISSION

Ardoyne Resistance to Secterian Marches

GREATER ARDOYNE RESIDENTS COLLECTIVE

greaterardoyneresidentscoll@gmail.com

To the Parades Commissioners;                                                                                   11th June, 2010

We are writing to you on behalf of the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (G.A.R.C.). Our body is made up exclusively of local residents and has allegiance to no political parties or groups. We are residents NOT dissidents. Our aim is to ensure that the human rights of the people of greater Ardoyne are fully respected and that there is no repeat of the violence of recent years visited upon our community. It is our intention that the people of greater Ardoyne are left in peace and that existing Loyalist marches are re-routed away from our district forthwith.

In our opinion, you have in the past and will no doubt in the future continue to ignore and insult the entire greater Ardoyne community. By treating us as second-class citizens in the so-called island of equals. By allowing drunk and drug-fuelled, Loyalist paramilitary flag-waving thugs to pass our area, reminding us of not only their past deeds but what their future holds for us. The continued insult using the term, Ardoyne Shop-Fronts fed to and used by the media etc so as, to create a (What’s all the fuss about) illusion to the outside world. You and the powers that be, must stop the approach that our community is the lesser of two evils ie: Orange might will once again triumph over the rights of Catholics/Nationalists and Republicans.

Secondly, to clarify the violence of July 2009 it was inevitable given a number of factors, permitting a Loyalist parade through an area where it was clearly not welcome. The use of the PSNI to force the parade through created an atmosphere were violence ignited. According to a recent FOI request, the cost of policing this parade was over £650,000. The cost to our community was even higher with three days of violence, police raids, fear and restriction on resident’s movements etc.

Afterwards, GARC in consultation with external researchers carried out an extensive survey. The results were both significant and clear, some 99% of residents stated that the present arrangements were completely unacceptable and needed changed.

The key finding in this survey is that almost 90% of residents throughout greater Ardoyne find these contentious parades unacceptable in any form and want them re-routed. This survey was completed and signed by over 1100 individual households. This states clearly that we are not and will never be misunderstood as the host community.

We are eager to engage in dialogue with persons from any political or community background to highlight the findings of the survey and attempt to map a peaceful way forward. We call upon your commission and what comes after you in the form of the two-party SF/DUP undemocratic master-plan eleven person parading body to act now before someone is killed.

Finally, G.A.R.C. wishes to make this abundantly clear we respect the Protestant religion/heritage and culture. We support the right of all groups to parade in a peaceful and dignified manner. So long as they adhere to the human rights of others and march only where they are welcome. Our motto is clear; No Parades - No Violence. It is common sense that if both communities adopt this approach then gone is the problem for everyone on this contentious issue.

Yours ,
The Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective

Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (GARC) Appeal For Solidarity

A Chara,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (G.A.R.C.) Our body is made up exclusively of local residents and has allegiance to no political parties or groups. We are residents NOT dissidents. Our aim is to ensure that the human rights of the people of greater Ardoyne are fully respected and that there is no repeat of the violence of recent years visited upon our community. It is our intention that the people of greater Ardoyne want simply to be left in peace and that existing Loyalist marches are re-routed away from our district.

In our opinion, the violence of July 2009 was inevitable given a number of factors. Firstly, the ignorance and arrogance of the Parades Commission to permit a Loyalist parade through a Nationalist area where it was not welcome. Secondly, the determination of the P.S.N.I. In forcing the parade through at all costs created an atmosphere were violence erupted. According to a recent FOI request, the cost of policing this parade was over £650,000. The cost to our community was even higher with three days of violence, police raids, fear and restriction on resident’s movements.

In order to ascertain what residents wanted done, G.A.R.C. In consultation with external researchers, carried out an extensive survey. The results were both significant and clear, some 99% of residents stated that the present arrangements were completely unacceptable and needed changed.

The key finding in this survey is that almost 90% of residents throughout greater Ardoyne find these contentious parades unacceptable in any form and want them re-routed. This survey was completed and signed by over 1100 individual households.

We are eager to engage in dialogue with persons from any political or community background to highlight the findings of the survey and attempt to map a peaceful way forward. We call upon your Party/Organisation to contact us and support our calls to end these unwanted sectarian marches and help us build a peaceful future. G.A.R.C. Fully support the right of all groups to parade in a peaceful manner, as long as, they adhere to the human rights of others and march only where they would be welcome.

Only by standing together can we achieve this aim, so your support, physically at our pickets, protests, letters, e-mails etc, to the local media or through your Party paper/magazine etc will break the cycle of violence. Our motto is clear; No Parades - No Violence. Copies of the survey findings and an alternative proposed route are available upon request. Please feel free to contact us at the email address at the top of this correspondence.

Yours,
The Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective