The Orange Order have always said they had peaceful intent and the root cause of any violence in the 1990s was the fact that they were prevented from walking the traditional route of their parade. They accused the residents group of being intransigent.
However, Mac Cionnaith said the people of the Garvaghy Road have been scarred by events of the past and do not want another Drumcree parade.
He rejected suggestions by some unionists that he does represent the overall view of residents in the area.
He said: “I think if anybody goes out onto the Garvaghy Road now and takes a walk round and just asks people… they’ll get the same response – ‘no, it’s over, put it to bed once and for all’.”
On the possibility of mediation, he said that any contact with the Orange Order previously has been on the basis of a “demand” for a parade.
He said: “The Orange Order has never, ever accepted the right of this community, or those who represent it, to put forward another possibility, that there should be no Orange march.”
No date has been set for the order’s planned parade but Sunday 27 September has been mentioned as a possibility.
The Parades Commission will access any notification of a parade and decide what restrictions, if any, to put on it.
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