THE SNP MSP James Dornan has called for Oranges marches in Scotland to be scaled back “or stopped” in a bid to address anti-Catholic and anti-Irish sentiment in the country.
Dornan, who represents Glasgow Cathcart, spoke out after the annual commemorations of the Battle of the Boyne got under way a couple of weeks ago to mark the event in 1690.
In one of the biggest marches at the start of the month several hundred people took part in the Govan and Kinning Park area where the Loyal Orange Institution Govan No 42 held a parade from Brand Street.
A number of people lined the streets at parts of the routes and others followed the parade walking alongside on the pavement.
Writing in The National, Dornan said: “It’s time Scotland investigated the best way to minimise the number, or stop, marches that are designed to intimidate and harass Catholics and Irish.
“Scotland has a problem that we still refuse to acknowledge. It’s time to accept that and deal with Scotland’s last acceptable taboo. But before we can do that, we must properly name it for what it is: anti-Irish racism.”
READ MORE: Scotland has a problem we still refuse to acknowledge. It's time to deal with it
Dornan went on to say he was hoping to set up a cross party group in Holyrood on the Irish community to make Scots aware of the positive contribution people from Ireland had made to Scotland. “I am proposing a cross-party group on the Irish community in Scotland. It’s time to remind people of the benefits the Irish have brought to this country and just how close our countries are,” he said.
Dornan hit headlines with recent interventions. In March he accused an Edinburgh-based travel firm of being anti-Catholic after it stopped evening services on St Patrick’s Day. The company said it was acting to protect its workers.
He was also criticised for telling Jacob Rees-Mogg “If your god exists, you will undoubtedly rot in hell” in a row about the immigration bill.
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