Mr Paisley In Court

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31116, 20 July 1966, Page 14

Mr Paisley In Court

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) BELFAST, July 19. A large crowd sang hymns and the British National Anthem outside a Courthouse in Belfast yesterday when the Right Wing churchman, the Rev. lan Paisley, appeared in connexion with recent religious rioting. Half-an-hour earlier, the self-styled “Moderator” of Ulster’s breakaway “Free Presbyterian Church” led 2000 of his followers through the heart of Belfast Traffic was brought to a standstill as the crowd grew to about 6000.

As the marchers neared the Courthouse, Mr Paisley—6ft 3in tall and looking more like a Rugby player than a clergyman—called for 100 volunteers to give evidence on his behalf.

Mr Paisley and six of his colleagues—one of them a woman and two others clerics of the “Free Church” are accused of unlawful assembly on June 6.

Last month’s rioting broke out as Mr Paisley led Protestant followers through Belfast’s strongest Roman Catholic quarter. Bricks, bottles and other missiles flew in a pitched battle between Protestants and angry Catholics. Mr Paisley had summoned Northern Ireland’s Governor, the Prime Minister, Captain

Terence O’Neill, and the Lord Chief Justice as his witnesses in the case, brought by the Attorney-General. Counsel for the Prime Minister and the Home Affairs Minister said neither of his clients among many prominent people summoned by the accused clergyman was in the country at the time of the riots. Such witnesses had been summoned “vexatiously and not for the purpose of justice.” In spite of this, the Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister were ready to give ] evidence if required, he said. They did not appear in Court yesterday. The Magistrates later ruled that they could not be summoned to attend Court as their evidence would not be material to the case. The prosecuting counsel said that the procession on June 6 had menaced private citizens. The demonstrators had hurled insults, called the police “Nazis” and shouted “Northern Ireland is a police state.” Mr Paisley’s followers had gathered outside a building where the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland was meeting, the prosecution said. "They can go to Rome if they wish, but they will not take Ulster with them,” Mr Paisley was heard to shout The case is continuing.