Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant announced he will ban the Drumcree parade, citing advice from the Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable that enabling the procession would carry an unacceptable risk of serious injury and disorder. The decision follows 13 days of deadlock and pressure from Sinn Féin and the SDLP.
The decision to ban the Drumcree parade addresses immediate public safety concerns and aims to de-escalate tensions in Portadown, impacting community relations and the broader political landscape in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant announced on Friday that he will ban the Drumcree parade, citing advice from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable that enabling the procession would carry an unacceptable risk of serious injury, disorder, and a wider contagion effect across Northern Ireland.
The decision comes after 13 days of deadlock between Orangemen and nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The Parades Commission had previously ruled that the march could go ahead with restrictions, but it did not take place due to a large protest on the Garvaghy Road.
Sir Chris stated that the Parades Commission had also advised that, in light of the chief constable's assessment, the original determination "does not now have enduring legal effect." He concluded that the circumstances under which the decision was made had changed considerably, and consequently, the procession could not go ahead.
Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition spokesman Breandán Mac Cionnaith described the decision as a "win" but one "tinged with sadness and with loss" for the price paid over many years. Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald expressed a sense of "relief and of joy," stating that the "awful threat and this sense of menace has been lifted from the community."
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the announcement would be a "significant relief" to the community and to people across the island of Ireland, who were concerned about the potential negative repercussions on community relations and reconciliation.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson, however, called the decision a "mistake," attributing it to "republican agitation, mobilisation and the looming threats of potential violence." He argued that the decision sends "profound signals that the country should be run on force of numbers and who shouts the loudest."
The deadlock began on Sunday, September 27, when up to 1,000 people, including Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill, blocked the road. The policing operation for the dispute had cost approximately £3 million as of the previous Thursday.
Pick the topics you care about. Get only what matters, on your cadence.