Orangemen reject British plans

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33212, 30 April 1973, Page 13

Orangemen reject British plans

BELFAST, \pril 2V. Northern Ireland's Protestant majority was split wide open today alter the powcriul Orange Order rejected Britain's plans for the province's future, the \ssociatcd Press reported.

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland said in a communique yesterday that the British Government’s proposals, which would give the Irish Republic a voice in Northern Ireland affairs, held the “seeds of destruction for Lister.” This put the Orange Order and the Ulster Unionist Party of the former Prime Minister. Mr Brian Faulkner, in direct confrontation for the first time in the province’s 50-year history. Mr Faulkner and the party which ruled Northern Ireland for 50 years until March. 1971. gave cautious approval to London’s proposals an-

nounced nearly two months ago. The British Government took over direct rule of | Northern Ireland in March. 1971. and dissolved the provincial Parliament. Mr Faulkner and his Government resigned. The British proposals would give the minority Roman Catholics a share in a new Government for the province and in a new legislative assembly to be elected in June but defence and security matters would remain firmly in London’s hands. The Orange Order thus joined other militant Protestant organisations in opposition to the British proposals and Mr Faulkner. Others are the Paramilitary Vanguard Movement and the Ulster Defence Association.

the United Loyalist Council and the Re» lan Paisley Democratic Unionist Partv The Orange Order wa< founded in 1795 and natnei in honour of William of Orange. 18th century King of England It is dedicated b maintaining Protestant sir premacy in Northern Irclan. and defending its ties with Britain. Nearly all local Protestant leaders belong to it and it membership is said to num her in the hundreds of thousands. The order urged its followers to vote only for can didates "pledged to restore a fully democratic Ulster Government" in the local ballot next month and the voting tor the assembly in June. The Grand Lodge's an-

: nouncement came attei thousands of militant Proles tant guerrillas demonstrated in Belfast bringing traffic t< a standstill for one hour yesterday.

Members of the U.D.A. erected 20 wooden barricades on central Belfast streets, but British troops and security forces staved in the back

ground. The U.D.A men. wearing masks and military uniforms were protesting against extradition of a young Protes tant wanted in the Irish Republic on a double murder charge. The youth. Mr Robert Taylor, aged 18, of LondonI derry. is charged with murdering a man and his fiancee in county Donegal on New Year’s Day. The U.D.A. says that Taylor is innocent, and main- ! tains that the Northern Ire- [ land police are using Taylor I and others as pawns to ob- [ tain extradition from the | republic of fugitives wanted in Belfast.