THE BELFAST RIOTS "To the 'Editor of TUE "SPECTATOR,] Sin,—In
your issue of 'August 16th' the Rector of a !alio Belfast parish, ReV. J. H. McDonald, and Mr. St. John ErvinC, nnative of the district, pointed out how wrong it was to blame the Orange Society for the riots there. In your last isstie, Mr. J. B. Morton,'Writing froni a London address, undertoOk to shoW how little they know of Belfast: Mr. Menton asserts that the riots were planned, started 'and Carried out by Orangethen. Such misleading and shockingly offensive statements' 'deserve the severest ' condemnation. There is no evidence that meMbers :Of the Orange Society were engaged in the rioting. What' Mr: Morton describes:ns an Orange mob marching on York' Street on July 12th was the annual 'procession proCeeding peaceably along the' Mute prescribed by the police authorities. This proCession'Was cOmposed of many thousands of :deeent self-respecting men marching homewards from their meeting in perfect discipline, in almost grimly solemn orderliness. They were wantonly .attacked at .several places en route. Persons have been convicted in the police courts for assailing them with party cries (singing' The Soldiers Song," shouting " Up De Valera") and trying to assay-It them at one stage. Later on, in Royal Avenue, :several shots were fired at, theta from North Street. Further on; in York Street, when passing a Roman Catholic side street, heavy firing was opened on them. Are we to conclude that the gunmen's atrocious out- bursts were due to the inflammatory speeches that the coroner referred to but did not specify ?
One result of this unprovoked attack was that a decent young nian, the eldest and only wage-earner of eight children, a member of my .own congregation, was killed. At his funeral I implored the people to refrain from reprisals. By that time two more Protestants were riddled with bullets, in the same Street. The dreadful result, ensued of a' maddened populace " seeing red," and wreaking vengeance on the innocent as well as the guilty. When city mobs become frenzied then looters and hooligans seize their chances. But it is inexcusable and preposterous to try to fix the blame for the rioting on the Orange Society. , • Mr. Morton's letter is an example 'of how credulous outsiders can be Misled by ele'ver propagaudisk. - Horrible -cruelties were subsequently Committed, but not by one side -only: He refers to the number of RoMan tat liolics now hcirriele8s. Alidut 300 Protestant families have' been driven from their homeS.
it is a mistaketo think the cause of these tillehriStian lints is wholly sectarian.`"' Disturbances this year began in Belfast as soon' as 'preparations were made to celebrate the King's 8iNer jubilee.' the minority became .aggressive to intliVidnali who displayed even a miniature Union Jack, Before July 12th the activities of the gunmen had inflicted! casualties on the loyalists.
The riots cannot be thought of without shame. But in assessing guilt let us face the whole facts.—Yours, &c., W. S. KERR (Dean of Belfast).
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