N. Irish officials call for calm

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BELFAST, Northern Ireland, July 11 (UPI) -- Officials in Northern Ireland are calling for calm ahead of the most controversial loyalist parade in Ulster's marching season.

First Minister Peter Robinson said Monday said while emotions are high a day before the parade -- The Twelfth -- "violence and rioting" won't solve any problems.

In a Guardian report, Robinson called on "everyone to take a step back and think of the consequences before doing something which you will later regret."

The annual parade is a Protestant celebration of the battle of the Boyne, fought in 1690 between rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thrones. It ultimately helped ensure the continuation of the protestant supremacy in Ireland.

Heavy security will be in force Tuesday in north Belfast, The Guardian said.

"In recent weeks the eyes of the world have focused in on Northern Ireland for both all the right reasons and, unfortunately, all the wrong reasons," Robinson said.

"As a government we are continuing to work hard to create jobs and investment and to build and grow our economy," Robinson said. "We must not allow the progress that has been made to be thwarted by those who want to drag us back to the past."