UK reverses decision, bans Protestant march through Catholic area in Northern Ireland

The Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal group, had been barred from the route since 1998 following years of violence triggered by the annual sectarian marches. Bryant appealed for all protests to be stood down, stating there was no excuse for continued tension.

Street fighting over these traditional marches contributed to the onset of Northern Ireland’s three-decade conflict, known as “The Troubles,” which resulted in nearly 3,700 deaths before a 1998 peace accord. Hundreds of Catholic locals, supported by Sinn Féin, gathered along the Garvaghy Road to celebrate the reversal. First Minister Michelle O’Neill stated on television that residents had lived with constant fear of the unwanted sectarian march.

However, the Democratic Unionists, the main pro-British party in the coalition, denounced Bryant’s decision as a capitulation to mob rule. Some DUP lawmakers called for the firing of Northern Ireland’s police chief, who had recommended the policy reversal. Gavin Robinson, the DUP leader, argued that the U.K. government had sent a dangerous message that Northern Ireland should be run by those who shout the loudest, and that the system for managing conflict over parades now lies in tatters.