22ND JULY 2009 - CHIEF MARSHAL COMMENTS ON PSNI TACTICS FOR CITY'S TWELFTH PARADE
I have been involved in marshalling parades for about 20 years now; in 1997 I obtained an NVQ level 3 in spectator control with a number of other members of the loyal orders in the city. This was a pilot scheme which has now spread over the entire country and has proven to be a great success so far in what is supposed to be a more peaceful environment.Over the years I have along with other senior marshals built up a very good relationship with a number of bodies including, the police and also I have been involved in a lot of stewarding duties raising monies for charity.
It has come to the stage were I have no option but to challenge the Police in their crowd control tactics in the city when the local orders march home at night.
In the training I received years ago the attitude is always to be proactive and we have had many experiences over the years to learn how to deal with this crowd control issue. I feel the police either don’t want to use basic crowd control tactics or there is something else we are not being told.
From marshalling many football matches I see the situation in Ferryquay Street no different from what can happen in football matches if not properly managed. No matter how well rival fans get on before a match they are always segregated in the stadium as tempers can rise during a match. The trick is that they are not within spitting or reaching distance. Surely this is the only way to control the rival crowds in Ferryquay Street. This to me is common sense.
A band member has been arrested after Monday and since then I have had several witnesses tell me that 2 men got out of a taxi and organised children to abuse the parade while the police stood and watched. Surely this is not proper management of what was obviously a planned attack on the parade and witnessed by the police.
The witnesses I have spoken to said, that before someone reacted the spittle’s were like rain falling on the parade, the band member was actually spat on the face. In all the years I have marshalled, spitting has been by far the most provocative gesture towards anyone and speaking to leaders within the Orange Order and Apprentice Boys they too admitted that they would find it very difficult not to react to such provocation.
In any event, where opposing factions are with in arms length of each other is a recipe for disaster no matter were in the world this happens. I am finding it more and more difficult to marshal such situations because marshals are becoming more and more nervous about their own safety and the safety of those on parade. The question has to be asked, what will need to happen before proper crowd control is implemented. I stood in Ferryquay Street on Monday with provocateurs breathing down my neck and it is not a nice experience that marshals are there as volunteers and their safety is paramount but the police tactics are putting our marshals in extreme danger.
The Apprentice boys have also informed me that the police are refusing to put in place practical crowd control on the 8th August in which the marshals will be trying for a solid 3 hours to prevent reaction from those on parade as they are continually spat on, this is not a position that any volunteer should be put under. We have marshalled through some of the worst times of the troubles but rival factions were segregated as they should be out of reach of each other and our marshal’s safety was in place.
Everyone knows that it is a small minority within the city who want to disrupt the parades; the marshals can’t understand how these people are allowed so close to something they hate.
I repeat, what will have to happen before proper crowd control is implemented in our city as local brethren return to their hall at night.
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Media - Londonderry Sentinel (22 July 2009)