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The Twelfth officially commemorates King William of Orange's military victory on July 12, 1690, versus forces loyal to the deposed Catholic king of England, James II. Protestants consider that victory a key moment when Protestant rights in Ireland were secured. Many of the hand-painted banners carried by Orangemen depict William, sword held aloft triumphant on a white horse, alongside the central Orange symbol of a British crown atop an open Bible. The day's mass demonstrations traditionally provoked fear and loathing among Catholics, demonstrating Orange power in what was once a Northern Ireland governed and policed overwhelmingly by its British Protestant majority. Those days are long gone. Britain abolished the Protestant local government in 1972 during the worst year of bloodshed, and in 1998 formed the Parades Commission to impose police-enforced restrictions on Orange marches near Catholic areas. After initial violent resistance, Orangemen have grudgingly accepted most restrictions but still refuse to talk to the anti-Orange groups. Commentators agree that the Orangemen's boycott on direct contact with the enemy appears anachronistic given that Northern Ireland since 2007 has had a unity government jointly led by Orangemen and Sinn Fein. But the Ardoyne conflict also defies easy resolution because of the limits of Belfast's road network. The Orangemen are trying to walk back to their lodge, and Ardoyne lies to one side of the road that directly connects that lodge to downtown Belfast. The parade mostly passes Ardoyne's street-facing row of small shops, not homes, so it's inaccurate to say the parade travels through a Catholic area. Since 2009 several hundred men and boys have rallied outside the Ardoyne shops, tried to block the parade, and fought nighttime battles with riot police. ___ Online: Orange Order: http://bit.ly/reQKqQ Parades Commission: http://bit.ly/OzeyhC
[Associated
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