"By who?"
The police, eye-witnesses and the press all attributed the rioting leading up to the event to Loyalists prepering for the march - that's who. The first press reports in Britain described them as Loyalist rioters - they were sectarian riots preceding the 'peaceful day out'..
These riots have always been provocative and insulting towars the Catholic minority, that is the reason for them taking place. Members of my family had their home burnd down and were driven out of Derry one 'Glorious Twelfth' over half a century ago - I mentioned two books (one by a Jewish American and one published by (Thames Television as a follow up to their 4 part series of documentaries 'The Troubles' (both obviously highly biased, no doubt) - go read them - and weep your customary crocodile tears.
You haven't replied, but it is fairly obvious that you have never witnessed one of these blood-lettings; I suggest you book your ticket for next years performance now.
"Rioting sometimes happens."
But you just claimed it didn't happen - make up your mind (or wasn't that a contradiction either).
DtG
If you're trying to say "give peace a chance" as you did so eloquently earlier - 90 years ago a 'temporary' peace treaty was enforced under threat of war in order to paartition Ireland "temporarily". Ninety years later that "temporary" peace treaty is still in place and partitioning still exists, and we are still counting the bodies - many thousands over the last few decades.
I am delighted that progress, is being made, albeit extremely slowly.
One of the first requirements, it seems to me, is to recognise what these marches are - acts of sectarian provocation - and outlaw them when they prove to be this. Failure to do this will mean our children's childrens children will still be mopping up the blood ninety years from now.
Armchair thugs like Keith (our own tame Paisley soundalike) is typical of the mentality that has kept this conflict festering - and they are still burying the dead in continuing troubles he claims to be long over.
Jim Carroll