The Lower Ormeau Residents spokesperson Gerard Rice and eight other protesters have all appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court charged with a range of offences. The charges arise from the disturbances that preceded last Saturday's Apprentice Boys march on the Ormeau Road. Mr. Rice, who is 37, was charged with hindering the passage of a parade and with disorderly behaviour. Two of the protesters were charged with assaulting police officers. All nine denied the charges.
All were granted bail and are due to reappear before the court on the October 15. Files in each case are being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. A solicitor, who appeared for five of the defendants, told the court that each of them formally complains at the brutal manner of the police, in the way they forced this parade through in contravention of their most basic human rights. Outside the court Gerard Rice said that he too would be making a complaint against the RUC arising out of his arrest in a dawn swoop yesterday. Around 30 Sinn Féin supporters staged a demonstration calling for the disbandment of the RUC.
The RUC, however, has rejected claims that it has not acted consistently concerning public order offences. In a statement, the RUC said that figures showed they had applied the law impartially in a totally consistent way against both Republicans and Loyalists. A spokesman said that facts, not fantasy, were what counted. Figures from the RUC show that last year, 267 Loyalists and 71 Republicans were charged with serious public order offences and for the first six months of this year, the statistics for these offences are 90 Loyalists and 33 Republicans. Yesterday, the Government expressed its concern to the British authorities over the arrests and charges in connection with the Lower Ormeau incident.
