The Northern Ireland Secretary, Sir Chris Bryant, has called for all sides to “double down on compromise” to find a resolution to the Drumcree parading stalemate, as the stand-off in Portadown entered a third day.
Speaking at the Labour party conference in Liverpool, Sir Chris said he would return to Northern Ireland to facilitate further discussions. He said: “The situation in Drumcree is tense and this Government, like every Labour government, will always go the extra mile for peace.”
International mediator ‘likely’
Ireland’s Foreign Minister, Helen McEntee, said she believed it was “likely” an international mediator would be appointed to attempt to intervene. She said: “It’s very clear that this has been very difficult for all communities in Northern Ireland. It’s been a very difficult few days for the residents on the Garvaghy Road and it has been difficult for all political parties.”
Ms McEntee added: “I want to acknowledge and commend the restraint that has been shown, and to call for continued calm. It’s really important that people engage, that is the only way we will find a solution through this.”
Talks resume at Stormont
Talks are expected to resume on Tuesday following a day of discussions at Hillsborough Castle on Monday and heated exchanges in the Northern Ireland Assembly. An urgent oral question that First Minister Michelle O’Neill refused to answer on Monday has again been scheduled in the legislature’s plenary timetable on Tuesday.
At the start of Assembly business on Tuesday, the Stormont speaker, Edwin Poots, said he had corresponded with the Executive Office about the relisting of the question. The urgent oral question is currently scheduled for 2.45pm on Tuesday.
Orange Order remains at Drumcree
A number of Orange Order members remain at Drumcree Church expecting to be allowed to begin their permitted parade, which would pass along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown. However, protesters have maintained a presence at the side of the road, insisting that the parade should not be allowed to proceed.
Alastair Power, the Orange Order’s deputy district master in Portadown, is among a small group of lodge members who have remained at Drumcree Church. He said: “We are still at the stalemate from eight o’clock on Sunday morning.”
Mr Power said: “The police are still giving us an assessment that they cannot police us safely down the Garvaghy Road. We have left it with them that we are here and waiting until they can give us safe passage to complete our 1998 parade, which was given to us by the Parades Commission with 35 Orangemen, under really restrictive conditions from the Parades Commission, but we accepted that and we wish to bring our banner back home.”
He said Sir Chris had not indicated what the further talks would be about. “Let’s see what’s on the table and hopefully everybody can come and get this done, and resolved for everyone,” he said.
Unlawful protest
Ms O’Neill and other senior Sinn Féin colleagues were among a large crowd that blockaded the road in the predominantly nationalist area of Portadown on Sunday to prevent the contentious Orange Order parade from passing the route. Under parading laws in Northern Ireland, protests must be notified to, and approved by, the Parades Commission adjudication body. Police confirmed on Monday that the protest was unlawful as the commission had not been notified about it.
The PSNI has defended its approach, with Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson saying the use of force to move protesters off the Garvaghy Road risked people getting “seriously hurt”.
The Drumcree parading dispute, which was associated with violent disorder during the Troubles, has been reignited after the Parades Commission granted permission for a limited parade down the Garvaghy Road for the first time in almost 30 years. At the height of the blockade on Sunday, more than 1,000 people congregated on the road to prevent the parade from passing along the route.
A ruling by the Parades Commission permitting the Orange Order march was upheld in an “unprecedented” late-night sitting of the High Court in Belfast in the early hours of Sunday. The Drumcree parade down the Garvaghy Road has been banned since 1998.
On Friday, the commission reversed its long-running determination and granted permission for the parade, subject to strict restrictions, including a limit of 35 participants and an 8am start time. The Orange Order has unsuccessfully applied for more than a quarter of a century to complete its 1998 walk along its traditional route.
