More than 840 people have signed up to a Facebook group calling for next month’s Orange Walk through Perth to be cancelled.
Around 10,000 people are expected to come to Perth for the June 26 parade, bringing the town centre to a standstill.
Unlike other mass participation events taking place in the county this summer, the welcome for the participants and supporters of this one has been far from universal.
The group, Say NO to proposed Orange Walk through Perth City Centre demands the council reverse its decision to let the march go ahead.
Its creator, Kelly McCash, branded the marchers “bigots” and said, “In a year when Perth celebrates its 800th birthday, the biggest summer attraction will be a (sic) openly sectarian parade celebrating an anniversary of a battle which has no historic ties to Perth.Concerned”If you, like many concerned locals, do not want Perth to be associated with sectarianism join this group.”
However, a rival group set up to show support for the walk is also gathering support. The Support the Orange Walk in Perth group had over 520 members.
The issue has prompted a heated debate on the protest page, with opponents stating the town will be effectively “shut” for the day and fearing there could be a “riot.”
However, a supporter of the march states it is merely a “fun family day out” to reflect the order’s culture.
When permission for the march was given by Perth and Kinross Council licensing committee, there was a warning from the city centre manager that traders are “extremely concerned” about its impact on their businesses on what would normally be one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Tayside Police will have to deploy 100 officers and 20 special constables to line the route, which has already been significantly amended to take account of local fears.
Pete Wishart MP said the march has no place in Perth which has a lodge with just a handful of members and has the potential to cause “disorder, disruption and discontent.”
He said, “These commemorations have no relevance to Perth as can be seen by anyone who has observed the handful of Orangemen walking behind a single hired band which constitutes the local lodge’s annual outing.Intimidated”This county parade is a different matter altogether and represents an importation into Perth that is entirely alien to the people of this part of the country.
“I still hope at this late stage we can still persuade those who would bring this divisive parade to Perth to think again.”
Former provost Mike O’Malley said the last time the order marched in such numbers in Perth, in 1988, people “were intimidated even crossing the road.”
James MacLean, a former county grandmaster, said his organisation has a “fundamental right” to march and that disruption is “a natural result of an event of this scale.”
He added, “That others may be offended by the perceived message of the procession is not a reason in itself to object to the march.”
Orangemen take to the streets in full regalia each summer to celebrate the anniversary of Prince William of Orange’s 1690 victory over King James II in the Battle of the Boyne.