Royal Visit To Belfast Opposed As Dangerous

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31098, 29 June 1966, Page 22

Royal Visit To Belfast Opposed As Dangerous

W.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) LONDON, June 27.

A week-end shooting in Belfast in which a young Roman Catholic bartender died, will cause demands in Parliament tomorrow for cancellation of a Royal visit to the Northern Ireland capital.

Recent disturbances arising from Catholic-Protestant tensions will make the trip by Queen Elizabeth next week too dangerous, a Liberal member Mr Eric Lubbock says. A Labour member says, recent arming could cause a "bloodbath.” Mr Lubbock will urge the Prime Minister, Mr Wilson, to advise the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to call off the two-day visit. The “Daily Sketch” said

that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will have an armed guard of detectives during the visit. Eighteen-year-old Peter Ward died in a hail of bullets fired at him and two companions as they left a tavern last Saturday night. The other two men were badly injured. The youths may have been victims of Protestant extremists, police fear. Police also had to step in last month to quell a violent riot after Roman Catholics stoned an extremist Protestant procession. A Labour parliamentarian, Mr Paul Rose, who is chairman of the "campaign for democracy in Ulster (Northern Ireland L” said emergency action was needed and invited 80 backbench colleagues to discuss the situation. He said he had received reports of arming in Northern Ireland. “I fear that if it goes on, the other side may

retaliate and this would mean a bloodbath.”

He did not oppose the Queen’s visit. It might have a calming effect, he said. Protestant church leaders and both the Labour and Conservative Parties In Northern Ireland have issued statements condemning recent outrages and appealing to citizens to keep the peace.