Springhill Massacre | Playing The Orange Card

The Springhill Massacre families are to be commended – like those hundreds of others in similar circumstances - for their courage and resilience in the face of British government intransigence. Last weekend the families of many of those killed by British state agencies took part in protests across the North against the PPS decision. Among them were relatives of those killed in the Ballymurphy Massacre in August 1971.  Only weeks ago the Coroner concluded after a lengthy inquest that nine men (including a local priest) and Joan Connolly a mother of 8, were entirely innocent victims. The Coroner described the use of violence by the Parachute Regiment as “unjustifiable” and “disproportionate.”The Orange Card:This is July. In the North July is widely known as the Orange Month. So I am producing an Orange Card for more discerning listeners. Since its inception the Orange has been associated with sectarian triumphalistic behaviour. For a long time it was a powerful network which united the Unionist ruling class, elements of the judiciary, business and Church figures and working class unionists.