20,000 Protestants Throng City in N. Ireland Parade

More than 20,000 Protestants filled the streets of Londonderry on Saturday with British flags and banners declaring “No Surrender”--a defiant demonstration made possible by a deal with leaders of this mostly Roman Catholic city.

Amid the clamor, there were hopeful signs that peace can prevail in this British province after years of march-fueled violence. Most Catholics stayed home or went shopping in nearby malls as the Apprentice Boys brotherhood, a historic symbol of Protestant dominance, commemorated the days when Protestants controlled this 17th century fortress city.

The 2 1/2-hour parade passed with little tension except at its most sensitive spot--the central square within the city walls known as the Diamond, a venue for sectarian riots since the early 19th century.

A few hundred Catholics walked up from the nearby Bogside quarter. Some were armed with beer bottles, which they hurled over police lines at the marchers.

One bottle struck a member of a so-called Kick the Pope band, provoking a furious but brief attempt by bandsmen to get past police. Nobody was reported seriously hurt.

The parade came at a crucial time for strife-torn Northern Ireland, which has enjoyed a measure of self-rule in recent months under a 1998 peace accord.

The annual Apprentice Boys parade commemorates the 1689 bombardment of the city’s Protestant garrison by forces loyal to a Catholic king, James II. The starving inhabitants were saved Aug. 12 after a 105-day siege when English supply ships broke through a boom placed across the River Foyle.

The group is named for 13 youthful apprentices who, as legend has it, bolted the city gates in the face of James’ approaching soldiers. Their move defied the city’s compromise-minded governor, who wanted to talk rather than fight.