Key facts
- Police blocked the Orange Order from parading down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown.
- Protesters had gathered on the Garvaghy Road, preventing the parade on Sunday.
- The Orange Order was permitted to have no more than 35 participants.
- First Minister Michelle O'Neill urged protesters to "stay the course" until midnight.
- Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant called for "compromise" and stated nobody should attend an unlawful protest.
- The Drumcree dispute has historically led to serious public disorder, riots, roadblocks, and killings.
Police in Northern Ireland prevented the Orange Order from parading down the controversial Garvaghy Road in Portadown on Sunday and into Monday morning. The planned parade was halted due to protesters gathering on the mainly nationalist road, leading to a stand-off that lasted throughout Sunday and into the early hours of Monday.
Orangemen attempted to march from Drumcree Church down the Garvaghy Road in the early hours of Monday, but a line of police Land Rovers blocked their path. The group had been unable to proceed with their permitted parade on Sunday morning because of the protest. They waited at Drumcree Church, about a mile from the road, for police clearance.
Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O'Neill joined the protest, urging demonstrators to "stay the course" until at least midnight. This prompted Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson to accuse her of acting unlawfully. Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant called for "compromise" and stated that "nobody should be attending an unlawful protest," though he added it was not his job to determine illegality.
The Parades Commission, which decides on contentious marches, had ruled that the parade could begin no later than 08:00 on Sunday with a maximum of 35 participants, significantly fewer than the 60 requested by the Orange Order. The dispute has historical roots, with past Drumcree parades sparking serious disorder, riots, roadblocks, and killings in Northern Ireland during the 1990s.
Breandán Mac Cionnaith of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition stated he was meeting with the secretary of state and chief constable on Monday. Police Chief Constable Jon Boutcher confirmed that officers were gathering evidence of all actions taken during the stand-off. Catholic Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin and Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell issued a joint appeal for an "urgent" and inclusive initiative to resolve the crisis, emphasizing that "Too much is at stake."