Northern Ireland Allows Controversial March
The Orange Order is set to march through a Catholic area for the first time since 1998, with 60 members walking along the Garvaghy Road, after the Parades Commission lifted restrictions
Story timeline6 updates
Protesters blocked the Orange Order march in Northern Ireland, with thousands gathering to prevent the parade from taking place.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for calm amid protests blocking the march.
Hundreds of Garvaghy Road residents blocked the parade route in protest.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill commented on the march.
Court overturns temporary ban, allows Orange Order march to proceed.
Story published. The Orange Order is set to march through a Catholic area for the first time since 1998, with 60 members walking along the Garvaghy Road, after the Parades Commission lifted restrictions
Northern Ireland's Parades Commission has permitted the Orange Order to march along the Garvaghy Road, a Catholic enclave in Portadown, on September 27. This decision marks the first time the Orange Order has been allowed to march through the area since 1998, when the route was banned.
The High Court quashed the Parades Commission's initial decision to restrict the parade in August due to a procedural error. The Orange Order lodged the court challenge and re-applied to hold a scaled-back march on September 27. The Parades Commission imposed conditions on the parade, including its size, timing, and music, but not the route.
The Orange Order said 60 members will walk along the Garvaghy Road. The original ban in 1998 required a large security operation, including hundreds of British troops and thousands of metres of razor wire. The dispute over the route became one of the defining flashpoints of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
## What changed The Parades Commission's decision to lift restrictions on the march comes after the High Court's ruling in August. The Commission's initial decision to restrict the parade was met with opposition from the Orange Order, which argued that the route was part of their traditional path and reflected their British heritage.
## Why it matters The decision to allow the Orange Order to march through the Garvaghy Road has significant implications for the region. The dispute over the route has been a contentious issue for decades, triggering unrest and violence in the past. The fact that the march has been allowed to proceed, albeit with conditions, marks a significant shift in the region's approach to sectarian tensions.
The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 largely ended the three decades of violence known as the 'Troubles', but the dispute over the Garvaghy Road route remained a sensitive issue. The fact that the Drumcree parade has passed off peacefully since the early 2000s, despite the ban remaining in place, suggests that the region has made progress in addressing sectarian tensions. However, the decision to lift restrictions on the march may still be met with opposition from some residents and politicians, who argue that the dispute was settled almost three decades ago.
