Orange Order: We had nothing at all to do with London protests at the weekend

The institution set out its stance after footage was circulated widely online showing brethren led by Grand Master Edward Stevenson marching through the streets of the UK capital.

Their relatively small Orange contingent was accompanied by the Castlederg Young Loyalists flute band.

On Saturday, there were three broad groups convening in central London simultaneously.

First were the traditional attendees at Remembrance Day services and ceremonies at The Cenotaph.

Secondly, there was a colossal pro-Palestine demonstration.

And thirdly, a counter-protest had been organised against the Palestinian demonstration, described as “right-wing” in nature by The Met police.

Much of the media attention over the weekend focussed on this third group – the right-leaning counter-protest – with some of its participants becoming involved in violence against police and pro-Palestine demonstrators.

It was in the midst of all this that the Orange parade was taking place.

More on the Irish / NI reaction to Middle East hostilities:

• Courtney Carey case: Irish woman posts defiant message and indicates she has a 'strong case' after losing job at tech firm Wix over comments about Israel

• Israel/Palestine: Former global football chief hits out at 'pure ignorance' as Celtic fans boo during silence to remember war dead

One video shows the Orangemen and band members marching in the vicinity of Big Ben surrounded by police officers and a crowd of men who are apparently part of the rightist counter-protest.

Shouting is heard (including “let them through!” when it seems the march is temporarily blocked) and some of those amid the crowd are masked; one man is carrying a scarf of the Millwall Bushwackers – a notorious football hooligan group.

Just after the Orangemen and band members have passed by, the footage shows police struggling with the crowd as a general melee breaks out.

Another video shows Grand Master Stevenson and some other men and women on parade carrying poppy wreaths, some looking uncomfortable as shouting and swearing heard from the surrounding crowd.

Still another clip shows the Orangemen passing the Tate Gallery surrounded by more shouting men before a fight breaks out between counter-protestors and a pro-Palestinian group.

(Much of this footage was taken by @FrancisAaronUK).

More on the Irish / NI reaction to Middle East hostilities:

• Belfast political art group which won the Turner Prize vows to boycott Israel along with a string of other performers

• 'This is the fault of Israel and the superpowers': Leader of one of Northern Ireland's biggest trade unions addresses Palestine rally and quotes Malcolm X

None of these videos show any Orangemen or bandsmen involved in any trouble.

However, a number of people commenting on the videos online assumed that they were all part of the right-wing counter-protest.

A Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland spokesman told the News Letter: “The Grand Master Most Worshipful Brother Edward Stevenson was in London on Saturday, 11th November, as a guest of the Grand Orange Lodge of England, taking part in the Remembrance Day parade organised by the City of London District No 63.

“This long-standing annual event, which included a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph, was in no way connected to either the pro-Palestine rally or the counter-protest.”

The Palestine demo, and the counter-protest, came against a backdrop of mounting casualties in the Middle East.

As of Sunday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was quoting the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza as saying that the death toll there had reached 11,078.

Meanwhile another 3,250 people – including 1,700 children – are missing, presumed buried in rubble.

As well as that toll, 47 Israeli soldiers have died in Gaza.

The UN also says in Gaza most sewage stations have stopped pumping, 41,000 homes are destroyed, 22 hospitals (over half) are not functioning, and 70% of the population have left their homes.