CHURCH of Scotland ministers have condemned a council provost who spoke of the Orange walk planned through their area with sectarian language – and called for future marches to be kept off public roads.
In a joint letter sent to our sister paper The Greenock Telegraph and published on Wednesday, reverends David Burt and Teri Peterson spoke out against an article also published in that paper by Provost Drew McKenzie.
McKenzie had called King William the Third a “Proddy” and King James the Second and Seventh a “Tim,” as well as describing the “gallous swagger” of those participating and the uniforms as a “sign of authority”.
Apologising, the provost of Inverclyde Council said his attempt to be “humorous” was very much an “error of judgment”.
In their letter, the church ministers said of McKenzie’s article: “Whether or not it was meant as satire or humour, it was ill judged and unwelcome.”
The pair further argued against the council allowing Orange Order marches through the streets of Gourock again, as they did on June 29.
They wrote: “One of the strengths of Gourock is the sense of community and neighbourliness at its heart, and part of that is the close working relationships of all the main denominational churches in the town.
“We and our Roman Catholic colleague work together with our congregations in friendship and discipleship. To have that unity tarnished by the acquiescence of the council by allowing the Orange Order march to take place and for the Provost to add his voice in such a badly chosen manner is very disappointing.
“If the Orange Order wanted to march by all means let them march around the Battery Park a few times.
“Gourock does not deserve nor wants sectarianism to be portrayed in such a way in our town.”
Burt and Peterson said McKenzie was a “good civic leader” but had work to do to repair the hurt he caused with his article.
They added: “Sectarianism, like racism, homophobia etc, needs to be challenged, not trivialised nor romanticised, and not given the appearance of being some sort of fun quaint local celebration.”
Peterson is the minister at St. John’s Parish Church, and Burt at Old Gourock and Ashton.
