Orange Walk

[AgentProvocateur]

Glasgow city centre ground to a halt today, with most of the streets closed to traffic between 9am and 4pm, so that a bunch of bigots could celebrate a war that happened over 300 years ago. There were loads of tourists in town, taking photos and video of the "parade", not knowing the background. And worse than the marchers, are the hangers-on - many of them drunk and with small children who are waving flags for something they know nothing about. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be Scottish.

None in August thankfully im sure stirling is next week.

nacho somebody on my facebook is looking forward to Saturday

For the last few years the walk has started at a club beside my house so we are all woken up before 8am, the dogs bark their head off and guaranteed it's the local neds always trailing at the back with their rangers tops on.

Urgh 😕

Well, Glasgow city council is run/influenced by a bunch of Orangemen and has always been thus. So, this shite will continue. West of Scotland bigotry is live and well and one of the reasons i moved away - I couldnt bring up kids in that gentle undercurrent of hate.

In Liverpool, they banned it over a hundred years ago.

(Waiting for this to be deleted.)

It's not true that it's all of the west of Scotland though. We live in east Dunbartonshire and my kids have never seen an orange march in their life. We sometimes drive past an orange lodge on a cut through to great western road, but never see anyone going on or out. And my 9 year old asked me the other day what a catholic was. We're not actively shielding them from this, it just doesn't feature in their lives.

'Glasgow considers Orange march ban'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-40498758

Just had a google we are not getting it this year just Alloa

mrsjayy alloa has the honour of hosting the "consolidated march this year so there isnt lots of wee parades. Arent we lucky

Poppypopcorn, we're also in ED, and are subject to occasional small walks at this time of year.

aye bet you are feeling honoured nacho

Oh i feel so lucky

I am in no way defending the marching - it sounds awful.

But, how do you draw the line? What about marches against war? Pride? Etc. All of these must generate a lot of disruption to the surrounding areas.

How do the authorities decide which one is OK?

Maybe banning alcohol might help? Don't know. Am way north of you and sectarianism is something we read about but don't see except on the telly.

I think the sectarian messge they send out is nothing like a demonstration against war or a gay pride yes i know they say they have a right to march but I don't understand why it is allowed either,, i remember a girl I was at college with said I play the flute oh thats nice said me then it clicked why she played the bloody flute.

And don't getme started on the Sash

There's still Orange marches in Liverpool they're awful.

There's still Orange marches in Liverpool they're awful.

‘But, how do you draw the line? What about marches against war? Pride? Etc. All of these must generate a lot of disruption to the surrounding areas.’

But Pride marches and anti-war demonstrations aren’t intended to intimidate or to celebrate sectarianism. I think at the very least Glasgow City Council should limit Orange marches to one day of the year (currently there are more Orange marches per year in Glasgow than in Derry and Belfast combined) and to bill them for the policing of these walks. Imagine if the Council facilitated several annual BNP marches?

It's not the same as a Pride March. The equivalent would be a bunch of Brits marching through Berlin and Dresden on VE Day. Except not even that's the equivalent but it's a lot closer than the previous examples. It's purpose isn't commemoration. It's glorying in the 'defeat' of the Catholics. They often intentionally March through predominantly Catholic areas. They are hateful things designed to antagonise communities.

Agreed Doctor but how do you draw the line? I am not in favour of them at all but am not sure how you allow some and not others.

Given some of the things people have witnessed, you might be able to get individuals banned on the grounds of hate speech. But can you stop the whole thing without being accused of discrimination?

Really not sure as I am usually so in favour of the right to match, protest and gather but recognise how hateful they can be.

If I was drawing the line I would use the harm principle. The Orange Order would fall foul of that and would not be allowed to March.
However, I also think the time has come for large organised marches to have to contribute to policing costs like football clubs do. The EDL and Britain First have really not helped the police funding situation.

I am interested in the harm principle. Is that a legal term? In which case that would be a good way of determining which should be allowed.

I hate the orange walk, its full of neanderthals

@HamletsSister - it's a philosophical term. Most commonly associated with JS Mill. A simplified version is you have the right to do what you want as long as it causes no harm to others.

And the level of hate speech sounds as if it is definitely harmful - to those listening and to the children those people raise.