Justice Minister appeals for calm in the run up to the Apprentice Boys parades

2.27.00pm GMT Fri 13th Aug 2010

Justice Minister David Ford

Justice Minister David Ford has appealed for calm this weekend when Apprentice Boys parades will be taking place across Northern Ireland.

He has also welcomed the decision to cancel a planned protest in Derry following the agreement reached on a way forward for Republican Prisoners at Maghaberry.

David Ford said: "No-one wants to see a repeat of the violence that both the residents of Ardoyne and police were subjected to over the Twelfth weekend. The people of Northern Ireland have made it abundantly clear that they do not want violence on our streets.

"I want to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who might think that violence this weekend will achieve anything to step back and think again. Violence is not the way forward. It only serves to damage the daily lives of ordinary people - people who have shown time and again that they want a peaceful future where differences are resolved through dialogue.

"I welcome the cancellation of the planned prison-related protest in Derry this weekend. This can only serve to reduce tensions in the City ahead of this weekend's Apprentice Boys parade. Community representatives and business leaders have worked hard in recent years to ensure that this parade is a success and has passed of peacefully. Their work, and the resolution of the protest in Maghaberry following discussions between the Prison Service and Prisoners, clearly shows that dialogue does work."