Statement by TUV Court Councillor Jolene Bunting:
“Events today in North Belfast will have greatly disappointed the enemies of the Orange Order and Unionism generally.
“Huge credit must go to Spencer Bettie who put in a lot of work behind the scenes to endure that people were able to demonstrate peacefully and within the law in spite of huge provocation from Republicans and their lackeys in the Parades Commission.
“It is outrageous that the parade was not allowed to return but events today greatly strengthen the hand of the Orange Order and the campaign to see them exercise their civil and religious liberty.
“The people of the Shankill take great heart from the peaceful protests which took place across the country in solidarity with the Ligoniel Lodges. Unionists have come out in their thousands against the Parades Commission and their pandering to Republican violence, not just in North Belfast but across Northern Ireland in places like Portadown and Rasharkin.
“The Commission is completely discredited and it must go now.
“Importantly, however, I would stress that it CANNOT be replaced with a Parades Commission by another name – as would have been the case with the 2010 proposals rejected by the Orange Order.
“The ball is now in the court of the political parties. It was promised that there would be political consequences to the Parades Commission’s act of cultural apartheid. It is now up to us to demonstrate that we are serious.
“TUV will be pushing to ensure that this issue is not forgotten about.”