Why do you think the Orange Order parades are permitted to continue? Are you aware of events in other parts of the world that are similarly contentious?

Brid mentions the Orange Order parades, and how they end in violence every year. Why do you think the parades are permitted to continue?

Are you aware of events in other parts of the world that are similarly contentious?

Religion plays much too large a role in politics and most countries in the world. I think the parades are allowed to go on because trying to stop or outlaw them would alienate such a large part of the population that it can't be done.

Interesting. I had assumed that Protestants outnumbered Catholics in Northern Ireland, but I just googled and now apparently Catholics slightly outnumber Protestants.

So I'm not sure if that will ultimately affect whether the Orange parades continue.

Traditions are hard to break especially one that dates back to the 17th century. The Orange Order Parades celebrate the Protestant William of Oranges victory over Catholic King James II in 1690. This celebration is a source of great bitterness for Catholics. One can only hope as Ireland changes the tradition will fade away.

I agree with Elizabetta that traditions are hard to break and banning the parades would be protested. While freedom of speech and assembly are important, the theme of the parades is bigotry and hate towards another religion. Thus, they should be banned on that basis.

Emotions still run high over the issues central to the Troubles. It has been less than 30 years since an uneasy peace came about. Sometimes squelching things creates more support for an issue than it deserves. I don’t know how the young people of Northern Ireland feel about this issue, but allowing it to continue may be the best way to dilute the feelings than trying to artificially end them.