Around 600 loyalists attended a rally in Belfast at the weekend to show their opposition to the release of paramilitary prisoners, the Patten report on policing, and the inclusion of Sinn Fein in an executive.
It took over two hours for the "Long March" to make its way from Sandy Row in south Belfast to Stormont on Saturday. Among those taking part were victims of IRA violence, Orangemen, and politicians from the DUP, UK Unionist and Northern Ireland Unionist parties. Several dissident Ulster Unionists, including the Lagan Valley MP, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, were also present.
The rally was addressed by Ms Michelle Williamson who was orphaned in the Shankill bomb. Last week she was granted leave to apply for a judicial review against the British government's decision that the Provisional IRA ceasefire is intact. Ms Williamson was accompanied into court by UUP leader Mr David Trimble but later criticised him for holding talks with Sinn Fein the following day.
She told the rally: "Justice in this country is a joke but nobody is laughing except IRA /Sinn Fein. I am proud to be a Protestant just as much as a Catholic is proud to be a Catholic and I am proud of our history, our culture and our heritage.
"The time is coming to make a stand or else everything that we care for will be lost and gone forever."
Ulster Unionist councillor Mr Jonathan Bell criticised Mr Trimble for holding a secret UUP seminar in Scotland to review the peace process.
He told the crowd that no one would tolerate the formation of an executive which included Sinn Fein. "It seems Ulster today has said `Yes' to democracy and the Ulster people today have said `No' to terrorists in government and you didn't have to go to Scotland to make up your mind."
Referring to Mr Trimble's meeting with Sinn Fein following his court appearance with Ms Williamson, Mr Bell said: "You cannot run with the fox and hunt with the hounds.
"To David Trimble in Scotland I say, you cannot stand with Michelle and the victims of IRA violence and then sit down within 24 hours and negotiate with the terrorists."
The Orange Order has reiterated its policy of not engaging in dialogue with nationalist residents' groups which it claims are influenced by Sinn Fein. The order has also restated its position of refusing to recognise the remit of the Parades Commission. Around 150 Orangemen attended a quarterly meeting in Belfast on Saturday. They agreed to make a detailed submission on the Patten report on policing during the consultation period.