Well done Ballymaconnolly!
22 August 2011
TUV Leader Jim Allister has congratulated Ballymaconnolly band on the organisation and conduct of their annual Rasharkin band on Friday night, 19th August.
In a statement the North Antrim MLA said:-
“Once more in the face of provocation and orchestrated hostility, and a malevolent Parades Commission, the Ballymaconnolly parade has taken place with great discipline and decorum. I congratulate the organisers and the spectators who conducted themselves so well. It was a great spectacle of colour and culture, to which no one except those determined to be offended could object. Apart from the corral of malcontents, swollen by those they bussed in, the village as a whole took a mature and accepting attitude, confirming to me that the Parades Commission overreacted, as usual, to the demands of the malevolent few. Hence, the unwarranted prohibition on the parade returning down the main street.
Likewise, by extending the recent ban on entering Sunnyside Drive to the upcoming RBP parade the Commission has compounded its folly of dancing to the anti-libertarian demands of politically motivated protestors.
It is unfortunate such a huge police operation was necessary to guarantee the basic right of freedom of assembly. I join in thanking the police for their contribution to a successful evening in Rasharkin.”
