News

Three arrests after parade trouble

Seven police officers were injured in the trouble.

Three people, including a teenage boy, have been arrested after trouble broke out at an annual Royal Black Institution parade in Belfast.

Sunday, 26 August 2012
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The 13-year-old boy was arrested in the Donegall Street area on suspicion of riotous behaviour at 12.15pm on Saturday. He was released pending a report to the PPS.

A 38-year-old man was arrested in the North Queen Street area at around 5.45pm on Saturday on suspicion of disorderly behaviour and provocative conduct.

He has been charged with both offences and is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Monday.

An 18-year-old man was arrested in the Clifton Street area on suspicion of disorderly behaviour and assault on police shortly after 6pm on Saturday.

He has been charged with both offences and will appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court next month.

Seven police officers were injured during outbreaks of disorder as they held back protesters who threw missiles, including bottles and stones.

A band defied the Parades Commission's ban on passing a Catholic Church in the area and others breached restrictions to only play a single drumbeat while passing between the junction of Clifton Street and Trinity Street and the junction of Union Street and Donegall Street.

The Young Conway Volunteers were banned from marching past St Patrick's Church where they were filmed playing a song alleged to be sectarian on the Twelfth of July.

At the time the band insisted that the location was purely coincidental and that the song they played was the Beach Boys hit Sloop John B.

Protesters opposed to the parade and supporters of the Royal Black Institute were present at the scene.