The Twelfth

 Today is the “The Twelfth” in Northern Ireland. The Twelfth is when the Northern Irish Protestants celebrate the Victory of Protestant King William of Orange over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne (1690), which began the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland (Note: it was celebrated by the Irish Protestants in all of Ireland until 1922 when Ireland became an independent country and Northern Ireland stayed part of the UK.)

The Twelfth is really just a day for Northern Irish Protestants to carry-out anti-Catholic attacks, parades and demonstrations. On July 11th the Protestants burn huge bonfires in every neighborhood and town in Northern Ireland – where they burn Catholic symbols (ie Crosses, pictures of the Pope, etc.)

Then on July 12th the Protestants parade and march through Catholic neighborhoods – even going through the Peace Lines separating the two communities – to show that the Protestant Ascendancy is still alive after all these centuries and to make sure the Catholics “know their place” at the bottom. There has always been violence and even death since The Twelfth was first celebrated in the late 18th Century.

The Twelfth should be banned as should any event or act that promotes the violence and death of either Catholics or Protestants.