The head of the Royal Black Institution has called on the UK government to “free us from the tyranny of persecution we are suffering” as he addressed issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol during his address on Saturday afternoon, August 5 in the village of Tempo.

Sovereign Grand Master Rev. William Anderson was speaking at the annual County Fermanagh demonstration to commemorate the 1689 Battle of Newtownbutler.

Sir Knights from 35 preceptories, accompanied by 36 bands, took part in the Tempo demonstration, with an estimated 1,800 people on parade.

In his address, Rev. Anderson compared the challenges of the world today with the biblical story of the giant Goliath being confronted and slain by the shepherd boy David.

Speaking from the platform, Rev. Anderson asked: “What are your Goliaths of today – sickness, relationship issues, financial worries, employment concerns, bullying, or being ridiculed?

“No doubt the stresses of the modern world bring many Goliaths to us all.”

Rev. Anderson said David – later to become king of Israel – had put his trust in God as he faced the mighty Philistine warrior Goliath “in this very unmatched contest”.

“When God is with us, there is no battle that we cannot win – we just need to be like David and trust God for the victory,” he said.

Rev. Anderson referred to the three resolutions read from the platform, on Faith, Loyalty, and the Constitution.

He said: “Our first resolution encourages us not to forget all the blessings that God bestows upon us; even when we turn away from Him, He still cares for us.”

The second resolution, he said, “calls us to resolve to support our monarch King Charles III in his role, as he provides leadership to our nation and [the] Commonwealth”.

Rev. Anderson said that in biblical times, David had recognised King Saul’s authority but had persuaded the ruler to let him face Goliath.

“Saul may have failed his people,” he said, “but David, with his youthful zest and faith in God, goes out armed with only his staff, a sling and five smooth stones.

“With God, strength does not come from armies, or armour, or status, but from us trusting in Him to deliver where others may fail.”

Rev. Anderson said the final resolution “calls on our government to free us from the tyranny of persecution we are suffering”.

The resolution seeks “to remove the continuing controls being exercised over citizens in Northern Ireland by the European Union and restore full equal citizenship of the United Kingdom to all its citizens as set out in the Act of Union”.

Rev. Anderson continued: “Today, we need to be strong like David and resolve that those who have paid the supreme sacrifice to give us our freedom are never forgotten.

“As we remember those who fought and died in the Battle of Newtownbutler on July 31, 1689, may we all be encouraged to face our Goliaths of today,” he added.