Parades in Northern Ireland - Unionist Parades

Unionist Parades

The majority of parades in Northern Ireland (nearly 70% in 2003/4) are organised by Protestant or unionist groups, and thus some sections of the community have tended to see attempts to restrict parades as an attack on Protestant or unionist culture. Parades by these sections of the community typically take place on Saturdays. This means that participants and spectators do not have to take time off work, and avoid parading on Sunday, which some Protestants believe should only be spent on purely religious activities. The only exceptions to this are the 12th of July, which is held on the same date each year, (unless the 12th falls on a Sunday, in which case it is postponed to Monday the 13th) and church parades, which are held on Sunday.