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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Ryan Smith

Sandy Row Twelfth party is 'not culture', says community rep

Work is ongoing to curtail an "out of control" Twelfth party in part of South Belfast.

Between one and two thousand people have gathered in Sandy Row on July 12 in recent years in what a community rep has described as a "drink and drugs fest".

Now, meetings are being held with the local community and various bodies.

Trevor Greer from Belfast South Community Resources (BSCR) told Belfast Live: "It is perceived as a cultural event - but in our opinion this is not cultural. A rave with drugs, assaults, people going missing, robberies - this is not culture. It's a drink and drugs fest."

A meeting was held on Thursday with representatives from the community, the Orange Order, Belfast South Community Resources, Belfast City Council, Greater Village Regeneration Trust (GVRT), police and local businesses including: Causeway Cafe, Sandy Row Rangers Club and the Royal Bar.

Trevor said that the two bars have agreed not to provide 'open air' music in 2020.

He added: "The community is being absolutely tortured by this crowd of 1,000 or 2,000 people.

Twelfth July parade in Belfast video

"We have spoke with the bars and they have said there will be no open air music this year. They have decided to have nothing to do with any of that.

"We have been talking to the police to see how they can help us.

"It's just got gradually worse. Every year there's more people being assaulted, there's more drugs being used - it's got out of control.

"[The Orange Order] can see that it's got nothing to do with them but it's bringing bad publicity to them. They know that if something happens or if someone dies - it'll be the Orange Order who get the blame.

"People will use that as a beating stick for them. So they're 100% behind us in trying to sort this.

"A large majority of the people who come to this rave are not local and are coming from every part of Northern Ireland.

"We know we can't sort everything at once but we want to work through the issues that are there gradually."

A spokesperson for the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland said: “The Orange Institution is committed to working with all who seek to enhance the traditional 12 of July celebrations.”

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