Orange Order Calls Off Its Parades

The Protestant Orange Order said it had called off all flash-point parades Saturday across the province to avoid loss of life. The decision was greeted by leading Northern Ireland politicians with huge relief. The order said it will not hold parades on Lower Ormeau Road in Belfast, the capital, and in Armagh and Newry, and that it will reroute a contentious parade in Londonderry. Gerry Adams, who heads the Irish Republican Army’s political wing, Sinn Fein, said he welcomed the decision. But he added: “I wish it had been made earlier.” The Orange Order parade in a predominantly Roman Catholic part of Portadown on Sunday sparked the worst violence the province has seen in years.