Plan for Orange Walk past Catholic church where priest was spat on

The Orange Order plan to march past a Catholic church where last year a priest was spat on by a thug currently serving a jail term - with five times as many Loyalists expected for the summer parade.
Silent protesters as Orange walk passes Glasgow church of attacked priest. Picture: John Devlin.Silent protesters as Orange walk passes Glasgow church of attacked priest. Picture: John Devlin.
Silent protesters as Orange walk passes Glasgow church of attacked priest. Picture: John Devlin.

Nearly 1,000 Protestant Loyalists are anticipated for the proposed march on June 8, which will take participants past St Alphonsus’ Church on London Road, Calton, in the East End of Glasgow.

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Silent protest as Orange Walk passes Glasgow church of attacked priest

Sectarian yob Bradley Wallace, 24, was jailed for ten months in February after spitting on Catholic priest Canon Thomas White last July, outside St Alphonsus’ Church.

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The priest was speaking to parishioners when he was attacked by Wallace, who was jailed at Glasgow Sheriff Court after admitting assault during the Boyne Parade.

Wallace was with a crowd of around 250 people when he attacked the priest.

Just last week Glasgow City Council pulled the plug on a march planned for Easter Sunday, which would have seen Orange Order faction the Apprentice Boys walk past the same church.

After being told they could not follow that route due to the risk of disorder, the Apprentice Boys cancelled the march.

But a new notification lodged by the County Grand Orange Lodge of Glasgow states that a procession on June 8 will take around 950 Glasgow Orange Order members past St Alphonsus’ Church.

The march will pass after 12pm as Canon White welcomes parishioners for Saturday mass.

It is one of six marches by loyal order organisations which plan to pass St Alphonsus’ Church, as well as St Mary’s in Calton, where Canon White is also the priest.

On Saturday, May 11, around 50 members of the Dalmarnock Orange and Purple District 50 will pass St Mary’s, before marching alongside St Alphonsus’ during mass a week later with 100 participants.

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The Dalmarnock No Surrender Branch Club and Apprentice Boys of Derry (Bridgeton) groups will collectively take 130 of their members past the Calton church on June 1.

And on June 2, 60 men from the Orange and Purple District 37 will also parade past St Alphonsus’ before morning mass takes place.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “We are still in the early stages of handling this notification and will consult with our colleagues at Police Scotland in due course.”

The County Grand Orange Lodge of Glasgow declined to comment on the parade.

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