Police flanked Clyde Valley Flute Band during Apprentice Boys parade in Derry last Saturday
Nationalists were outraged after the Clyde Valley Flute Band wore British Parachute Regiment emblems with the letter ‘F’ underneath.
That was a deliberate reference to ‘Soldier F’ who is to face a court in Derry next month on two murder charges and four counts of attempted murder over Bloody Sunday in January 1972.
Police said there had been an agreement with organisers of the Apprentice Boys parade that no provocative emblems would be worn at the parade.
But the Apprentice Boys disputed this, saying they weren’t aware of any such agreement.
Delegations from Sinn Fein, the DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party met PSNI chiefs at police headquarters in Belfast to discuss the weekend’s events.
Following the meetings, Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Martin said: “We welcomed the opportunity to meet with political representatives in two separate meetings today. The meetings were robust and constructive.
“We explained what police did and why.
“We also listened carefully to all the strong concerns that have been raised about how we carried out our actions.
“As with all our policing operations there will be a full debrief of our actions on Saturday and we will learn any lessons that result from it.
“Today’s discussions were helpful and reinforced the importance of dialogue in restoring the good will that has surrounded parades in Derry over many years.”
After its meeting, Sinn Fein Foyle MP Elisha McCallion said: “The failure of the Apprentice Boys to adhere to an agreement that there would be no provocative displays on the parade has caused a huge deal of anger in the local community.
“It sets back the positive progress which this city has made over recent years in terms of dealing with contentions parades.
“There was a specific agreement in place that there would be no ‘Soldier F’ or Parachute Regiment symbols given the clear hurt and offence this would cause to the Bloody Sunday families in particular.
“The fact that this agreement was broken in a deliberate attempt to antagonise victims demands rigorous investigation by the PSNI in addition to immediate action from the Apprentice Boys.
“The hurt caused by this incident was exacerbated by the incredible decision by several DUP representatives to pose for photographs beneath a banner showing support for the Parachute Regiment.
“Deliberate attempts to cause hurt and to antagonise victims should not be tolerated by any political party or by the police.
“We will continue to engage with the PSNI and other stakeholders to ensure there is no repeat of such disgraceful scenes.”
Police stop Clyde Valley Flute Band bus on the outskirts of Derry on Satruday
She said that a lot of loyalists are concerned by the police approach.
“It is important that everybody in the community in Northern Ireland has support for the police service. That’s a fundamental of our society,” she said.
“Therefore it concerns us greatly if there’s a perception building that there isn’t that confidence in policing. It’s something that we are very concerned about.”
UUP leader Robin Swann, who led his party’s delegation, said “intervention could’ve been handled in a completely different way”.
“The deployment of the TSG (Tactical Support Group), in my opinion, was uncalled for, unnecessary, and obviously too early because they should have given the elected representatives and stewards from the Apprentice Boys of Derry an opportunity to see what resolution could have come about before the TSG was deployed,” he added.
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