27 May 2001 Rioting Follows Orange March -from BBC Fifty-seven police officers have been hurt in rioting in Portadown, County Armagh, the RUC has said. The trouble followed a parade of junior members of the Protestant Orange Order which passed along the lower end of the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road. Republicans said at least a dozen plastic bullets were fired and said the fight was provoked by loyalists breaking parade restrictions and RUC heavy-handedness. But the RUC said groups of men and youths confronted officers on public order duty as security forces were withdrawing. At the height of the trouble, police were attacked with petrol bombs, acid bombs, bricks and bottles by nationalists. The area was later reported to be calm, after the protesters dispersed. 'Escalating Tensions' The march was heavily policed, with military back-up and a large metal barrier placed across the road. An RUC spokeswoman said: "Police were subjected to attack from people who threw missiles including petrol and acid bombs and who were also using catapults. "A car was pushed into a line of police Land Rovers and set on fire. "A number of police officers were hurt and some were conveyed to hospital. "A number of baton rounds were also discharged." Republicans said the annual march had a history of escalating tensions. They also said tensions were already height in the town following Celtic's victory in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday. The march passes the bottom of the Garvaghy Road - as opposed to the top where Orangemen at Drumcree Parish Church have been banned from marching since 1998. At the 1999 junior march, 13 police officers were treated for injuries after violent clashes between police and nationalist and loyalist protesters. Sinn F�in assembly member Dr Dara O'Hagan accused the Parades Commission of ignoring its appeals to reroute the Parkmore Junior Orange march further away from the Garvaghy Road. "The Parades Commission refused to listen to this good advice and instead bowed to pressure from the Orange Order," she said. "The resulting use of 12 plastic bullets by the RUC once again demonstrates that the RUC are unable or unwilling to deal with situations where the Orange Order and the residents' group come into conflict fairly and evenly. "We would urge not just the Parades Commission but also the Orange Order to think long and hard about how we move to resolve this issue." SDLP assembly member Brid Rodgers said she was concerned that the police had reacted to the trouble by firing baton rounds. She said: "I am very concerned at the rioting in Portadown last night and have raised the issue of the use of plastic bullets with the Irish Government." 'Regrettable' Assistant chief constable for the area, Stephen White, condemned the violence. "Once again police officers and soldiers have been placed between two sides in this divided community and bore the brunt of violent and life-threatening behaviour," he said. "It is regrettable that due to the extent of the violence police had no other option but to resort to the use of plastic baton rounds. "This was proportional and justified given the extent and severity of the attacks." However, he thanked people on both sides of the community whom he said had tried to calm the situation during the trouble.
