BRITISH TROOPS TO PARADE IN BALLYMENA

  Ballymena has become the first town in the Six Counties to invite the Royal Irish Regiment of the British army to march through its streets when they return from Afghanistan in the autumn.   Early details of the parade - which was agreed unanimously by Ballymena Borough Council - were released by politicians involved in the discussions.   The parade, for the Royal Irish Regiment's 1st Battalion, is likely to take place in November and is expected to include a march past, a sit-down meal at the new Braid Centre and a certificate for the soldiers.   It was also confirmed that a parade in Larne to confer the freedom of the borough on the Royal Irish Regiment will take place on Saturday, November 1.   Castlereagh Borough Council had already agreed to stage a homecoming parade for the Territorial Army medics of 204 (North Irish) Field Hospital when they return from Helmand around the same time as the Royal Irish.   A British Ministry of Defence spokesman said that it was in discussion with "a number of councils" about having homecoming parades for local soldiers when they return to the Six Counties, but declined to give any further details.   Ballymena's sole Provo councillor, Monica Digney, said that she was not in favour of the parade but had not opposed it in council as she knew the Royal Irish were legally able to parade anyway, having already been granted the freedom of the borough   On August 12, Republican Sinn Féin Director of Publicity of, Richard Walsh, said: "The comments by the Ballymena Borough councillor -- the Provos' Monica Digney -- that she agreed to the RIR (formerly UDR) parading in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, because they already enjoyed the freedom of the borough, were a pathetic attempt to divert responsibility for allowing such a parade to go ahead.   "She cannot claim to be opposed to the parade, having personally sanctioned it. Her actions show that -- despite what she has said -- she is in support of the British army of occupation. They have an appalling record in Ireland arising out of the continuing British occupation, and this cannot be separated from their appalling records in Afghanistan and Iraq. Indeed it has recently been revealed that disgraced Brit Lee Clegg is currently serving the British Crown in Afghanistan.   "Parades in support of the murderous British forces are an insult to the Irish people, and to have these parades imposed upon them within their own country is outrageous