BELFAST (CWNews.com)

    Loyalist rioters in Northern Ireland rand through the streets on Tuesday threatening Catholics as they protest the banning of a parade by the Protestant, masonic Orange Order on Sunday.

    Politicians from both loyalist and nationalist sides criticized Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair, a leader of the outlawed Ulster Defense Association who is believed to be behind the flare up of violence. Adair, who was paroled from prison last year under the 1998 peace accords, led more than 100 supporters on Monday to an area outside the town of Portadown where police and soldiers have been preventing Orangemen from marching through a Catholic neighborhood.

    Rioting has become an annual occurrence each summer since 1996 as police prevent the Orange Order from holding their march through disputed areas. Last year, Orange leaders opted not to challenge the blockade, leaving the area in relative peace.

    Paramilitary outlaws behind the attacks warned of intensified violence if the Orange Order is not allowed to conduct its march down Garvaghy Road, the main street through the Catholic district. "Fellow loyalists, once again the British government and the IRA are trying to take away our God-given right to complete the march from Drumcree church," a masked figure from the terror group Loyalist Volunteer Force said in a speech widely broadcast Tuesday in Northern Irish news bulletins. Adair appeared, unmasked, with the masked LVF figures who fired a volley of shots in the air. "Step by step they are trying to walk over us and get us to lie down. We cannot let this happen," the masked figure said, concluding, "It is up to us to defend our country. No surrender!"

We encourage you to check the Catholic World News site at the CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales and the Dossiers, features and Daily Dispatches from ZENIT International News Agency CWN, NE and ZENIT are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC, but provide this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.