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Thousands of Orange Order members will take to the streets across Northern Ireland later to mark the main date in the Protestant loyal order parading season.<\/p>\nThousands of Orange Order members will take to the streets across Northern Ireland later to mark the main date in the Protestant loyal order parading season.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Twelfth of July parades will be smaller than usual and locally based due to Covid-19 restrictions.<\/p>\n
The normal 18 main events have been replaced by more than 100 local parades.<\/p>\n
The Order said organizing smaller parades was the best way to ensure the demonstrations went ahead.<\/p>\n
The Twelfth parades mark the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne, north of Dublin, in 1690 \u2014 a triumph that secured a Protestant line of succession to the British Crown.<\/p>\n
The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has called on everyone planning to attend a parade to respect the Covid-19 guidelines.<\/p>\n
Spectators are advised to choose one parade to attend, avoid standing in crowds or walking alongside the parade and to wear face coverings when appropriate.<\/p>\n
Usually, parade participants congregate at fields where they hear speeches and prayers delivered by senior Orangemen, but that will not be possible this year.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s parades were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings.<\/p>\n
On Sunday night, more than 160 bonfires were lit as traditional Eleventh Night celebrations, which precede the Twelfth parades, got under way.<\/p>\n
These included the contentious bonfire at Adam Street in the loyalist Tiger\u2019s Bay area of north Belfast, which is adjacent to the nationalist New Lodge area.<\/p>\n
The bonfire had attracted controversy as nationalist and republican politicians had claimed that the homes of New Lodge residents had come under attack from bonfire builders.<\/p>\n
But unionist politicians rejected this, stating the bonfire was a legitimate expression of their culture, and accused nationalist political leaders of raising tensions.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Sunday, Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said all political leaders needed to work to ensure that tensions did not boil over in the coming days.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI hope it is a peaceful weekend, I hope it is a calm weekend. All of us in political leadership have a duty to try to ensure that is the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would call on everyone, enjoy your celebrations, do what it is that you do to enjoy your culture but there is no room for attacking people\u2019s homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just hope we have a weekend that we are not looking at the scenes we witnessed a number of weeks ago when we saw tensions in interface areas, none of us want to see that.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy message is clear, stay home, don\u2019t be involved in street disorder, that is not where anybody should be.\u201d<\/p>\n