Annual Orange Order marches spark confrontations in Northern Ireland

July 12, 2012

Irish nationalists clashed with police in Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 12, as violence broke out in the wake of marches by the Orange Order.

The annual marches, which commemorate the victory of King William of Orange in the Battle of Boyne in 1690, have regularly sparked violence. In an effort to stop the confrontations, police have restricted the marches to areas of the city occupied primarily by Protestants, avoiding the Catholic neighborhoods were violence frequently broke out in past years.

 

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Further information:

• Tensions in Northern Ireland on 12th of July (VIS)
• Belfast cops gird for riot as Orange marches start (AP)
• Belfast Catholics riot after token Orange march (AP)