GEOFF Buxton appears a little bewildered by all the fuss. In many ways he is just an ordinary bloke – a North Yorkshireman by birth, he’s ex-Forces, lives near York, and works as an administrator at a local factory, which he would rather not identify.

But he’s also the northern provincial Grand Master of the Orange Order – and the organiser of Saturday’s first Orange Order march through York. It really isn’t a big deal, he stresses, and there are no ulterior motives.

There are Orange Order lodges across Yorkshire (as there are across England) in places such as Leeds, Scarborough, Northallerton and Sheffield. There is even a small lodge in Malton, formed in 2004 by members of the Scarborough lodge, such as himself, who wanted a lodge nearer their own homes.

“There are 11 or 12 members in the Malton lodge,” he says. “We have local businessmen, people who work for local authorities, people who work for supermarkets.”

There is an Orange Order march every other year somewhere in Yorkshire – the region alternates with Tyneside to host the annual Northern Province. There was even a march in Malton in 2003 which, according to The Press report of the day, passed off without any trouble. “But in the living memory of the Orangemen in Yorkshire, I don’t believe there has been a parade in York,” Mr Buxton says.

So the reason for marching here is quite simple. “York is in the middle of the county of Yorkshire, it’s the capital of Yorkshire, we’ve got lodges all around… and that’s the only reason.”

The march has nothing to do with York’s Irish connections, he stresses; there’s no significance to the march starting at Clifford’s Tower – that is where the police suggested, Mr Buxton says – and it is not true that Orangemen will be laying a wreath at York’s Boer War memorial.

Between 250 and 300 Orangemen from across Yorkshire, the north of England and Scotland are expected to take part in the parade, which will start at Clifford’s Tower at 2pm on Saturday, cross Ouse Bridge, march up Micklegate and finish at Toft Green. There will be banners – the Union flag, the Cross of St George and the Yorkshire white rose amongst others – pipes will be playing, and members of the band will be dressed in their own distinctive Orangemen regalia.

He is aware that some people are shocked at the prospect of an Orange march in York. “But we don’t cause any trouble. There’s absolutely no cause for concern. We just hope we have a good day, and that people in York can see that it’s a parade like any other.”

Ron Bather, the Grand Master of the Orange Order in England, is also keen to stress the peaceable intentions of the march. The marches are just part of a tradition, and are not intended to be provocative, says the retired logistics manager from Liverpool.

“Nobody is going to be carrying any effigies of the Pope. People haven’t got to be worried about the fact that there’s a parade coming to York. We organise parades across the country. Next year we’re organising a parade from Hyde Park across central London to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s 60th anniversary. If we were proscribed, we wouldn’t be getting the co-operation of the policed for that.”

Yes, Mr Bather says, the Orange Order is opposed to the teachings of the Roman Catholic church. But the order supports religious liberties for all – and does not oppose individual Roman Catholics.

“If they want to be Roman Catholics, they have the right to be.”

Nevertheless, people are concerned. Local Catholics are, probably sensibly, playing down the march. One Catholic priest from a church in York said he “didn’t even know the parade was happening”

until The Press contacted him about it.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic diocese of Middlesbrough, which includes York, politely declined to comment.

Press readers posting comments on our website were less cautious. “Just what York needs, sectarianism and religious bigotry,” said one. “We do not want them here!” added a second. “York on the whole is a peaceful city,” said a third. “It should stay that way by banning potentially provocative marches such as this.”

Banning the parade is not on the agenda, however. When the story about the Orange Order march broke, council leader James Alexander said that many parades and marches took place in the city that he did not personally endorse. “However, in a free society, organisations have a right to assemble and parade,” he said.

The council’s chief executive, Kersten England, has reiterated that message in a letter sent to councillors. The threat to public order and the possible risk of race and religious discrimination had to be balanced against the right to assemble and march and freedom of speech, she said.

“In this case the organisation is not proscribed and the police intelligence and their work with the organisers do not suggest that anything is planned other than a short commemoration at the Boer War memorial and short march through less frequented parts of the city centre. There is nothing therefore which would substantiate the council asking the home secretary for a banning order.”

York police commander Supt Lisa Winward said she was confident the march would pass off without any problems. Police would have their normal high visibility presence in the city centre at the weekend, she said. “But there is no intelligence or indication that Saturday’s events will be anything other than peaceable.”

• Background...

THE Orange Order traces its roots back to William of Orange and the Glorious Revolution, when the Dutch protestant prince and his English wife Mary claimed the throne of England from the increasingly Catholic-sympathising James II.

The Order in its present form, however, dates back to 1795, and the so-called Battle of the Diamond between Catholics and Protestants near Loughall in County Armagh. As a result of the battle – actually more of a skirmish, according to Ron Bather – the Orange Order was founded as an organisation of protestants who wanted to defend themselves.

It was initially a working-class organisation, but over the years that changed, Mr Bather said. The organisation numbers amongst its previous Grand Masters the very ‘Grand Old Duke of York’ who, according to the nursery rhyme, once marched his men to the top of the hill, then marched them down again.

The Orange Order was brought to England by British Army regiments serving in Ireland, Mr Bather says: and it is now an international organisation, with lodges all over the world.

It stands for religious liberty and the principles of the reformation, and is loyal to the British crown, Mr Bather said. The order opposes the teachings of the Roman Catholic church – but is also against established church figures such as the Archbishop of Canterbury telling members how to worship. “We believe in everything that’s in the Bible,” he said.

Above all, he said, the Orange Order was mainly a “fraternity of like-minded individuals”.

In that respect, said Geoff Buxton, the northern provincial Grand Master and organiser of Saturday’s march in York, it was little different from the Masons or the Buffaloes.

Like other lodges, the 11 or 12 brothers of the Malton lodge have regular meetings, he said. “We have meetings with our own ritual, the same as the Masons or the Buffaloes.”

They also march, as anyone familiar with the violent recent history of Northern Ireland will know. The Orange marching season, particularly in Armagh and Belfast, was a flashpoint for trouble.

But that is taken out of context, Mr Buxton insisted. Every year in Northern Ireland there are hundreds of marches. “There’s only two or three get any trouble.”

The marches developed out of the old tradition of protesting and defending the protestant faith, Mr Bather admitted. But today they are just part of the Orange tradition. “They’re not provocative at all.”


Matt Clark asked people in the streets of York if they had any worries about the Orange Order parade

• Carol Mozley, from Helmsley, says it’s a good thing for the Orange Order to come to York and explain what they are all about, but she wonders whether anyone will listen.

“It seems to have had a pretty vicious history, and the troubles in Ireland immediately spring to mind. But as long as there is no trouble I think they should march here. I don’t know if they are planning to have a speaker’s corner, but that would be a good idea, because if people are opposed to what they stand for they should go along and argue their case.

“We live in a democracy and everyone has a right to say what they feel about politics. So why shouldn’t they come to York?”

• Hilary Patterson at the Yorkshire Museum grew up in Edinburgh and remembers hearing about Orange Order rallies in Glasgow. She believes you have to understand something first before you can put your opinion forward. And the Orange Order is no different.

“I think in terms of people’s rights it’s fine for them to come, as long as there is no violence,” she says. “But from what I know of the order, which is very little, it seems to be a view that is imposed, so it’s important other groups are also able to march and put their point across.”

• Matthew Hallas and Elliott Fletcher are busking on Pavement ahead of their band’s gig at Fibbers on July 2. Neither knows too much about the Orange Order, but they say that isn’t the point.

“I don’t have a problem with this, as long as the march is a peaceful expression of their beliefs,” says Matthew. “They have a right to be heard and if people have genuine concerns they should come along to put them across.”

Elliott thinks the march might even be detrimental to the order’s cause.

“The BNP gets a platform on say Newsnight and we should trust people to make up their own minds,” he says. “You can only do that by listening to another person’s point of view. Banning them would be censorship and this is a democracy, so they have a right to be heard.”