Who was it who said “whenever I hear the word culture, I reach for my revolver”? Often mistakenly attributed to Mussolini, I believe it was a Nazi fascist.
It’s the Twelfth here in Belfast, a day of bonfires and Orange Order parades to commemorate the victory of King William III of Orange at the battle of the Boyne in 1690 over King James II of England and Scotland.The Protestant forces of King Billy were supported by Pope Alexander VIII as part of the Grand Alliance against King Louis XIV of France and his expansionist ambitions.
333 years after that victory established the Protestant ascendancy in Ireland (an expansionist ambition of a different flavour) those still loyal to the English monarchs, who are of German descent, burn the Irish tricolour on huge bonfires made of wooden pallets.
That potted history of the Twelfth will be disputed by academics and ordinary folk alike. Some may describe the victory as ensuring religious freedom of worship in Ireland, whilst others point to the penal laws that suppressed Catholics and took away their rights for three centuries.
Loyalists in Northern Ireland see the Twelfth as a traditional celebration with marching bands and fun for all the family at fields at the end of long marches. To say that it is part of their culture is an understatement. Parading Orange banners is as important as waving union jack flags and wearing bowler hats, symbols of a Protestant, British identity in six beleaguered countries hanging on to what they hold dear.
The peace process laid out in the Good Friday Agreement encourages parity of esteem for the different traditions. Tolerance is key to that ambition. Every year the Orange Order makes a small protest at Drumcree where they are prevented from marching through a Catholic area on the return from their Twelfth parade. Peace is too precious to let dissidents or triumphalists weaponise historical traditions.
So don’t reach for a revolver when you hear the word culture.
odespinner 