Northern Ireland Secretary to ban Drumcree loyalist parade after weeks-long stand-off
Published: | Updated:
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has announced he is banning the contentious Drumcree parade after almost two weeks of deadlock.
Sir Chris said efforts to reach an agreement between the Orange Order and the nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown had failed.
It comes as police investigate First Minister Michelle O'Neill for allegedly blocking the parade, which was originally meant to take place on September 27.
The Sinn Fein vice-president received a letter inviting her for a police interview over alleged breaches of the Parades Commission's decision to allow the march.
The dispute centres on the Protestant Orange Order's traditional parade route from Drumcree Church down the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road for the first time in almost 30 years.
Marchers had been barred from using the road since 1998 following years of unrest.
But a fortnight ago, the Parades Commission ruled that the procession could return with restrictions in place, reigniting the long-running dispute.
The parade, which was due to travel from Drumcree Church into Portadown on September 27, was prevented from taking place by up to 1,000 protesters.
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant (pictured arriving at Hillsborough Castle last week) has announced that he is banning the contentious Drumcree parade
The Parades Commission ruled a fortnight ago that the march could pass along the Garvaghy Road with restrictions in place
A crowd of protesters blow whistles as they hold a demonstration outside the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast on Friday October 9, 2026 to call on Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant to ban Orangemen parading down the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown
O'Neill said she would cooperate with the investigation and had stood in solidarity with Garvaghy Road residents throughout the stand-off.
'I will continue to stand with the Garvaghy Road residents who should be allowed to live in peace and free from sectarian intimidation,' she said.
Sir Chris said: 'Everybody will have seen over the last two weeks that there's been a major stand-off and a difficult situation in Drumcree and Portadown. I've been trying to find a solution to that stand-off.
'I've had both sides of the argument, both the Garvaghy Road residents and the Orange Order in.
'We've been talking it through, trying to find a solution, and unfortunately, we've not been able to do that.'
He added: 'Earlier today, the chief constable of the PSNI got in touch with me and asked me to look at the original determination by the Parades Commission to see whether it should still stand.
'I've looked at the changing situation in Portadown, the fact that it's very difficult for that procession to proceed, and I've decided that it's not in the public interest for it to proceed, and I've therefore banned the procession.'
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the framework for parading and protests in Northern Ireland 'lies in tatters' following the reversal of the commission's decision.
He said: 'The decision of the Chief Constable to refer the matter to the Secretary of State and his conclusion that the parade cannot proceed is a direct result of republican agitation, mobilisation and the looming threats of potential violence.
'These decisions are a mistake, and send profound signals that the country should be run on force of numbers and who shouts the loudest.
Police are investigating Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill for allegedly blocking the Orange Order's parade
'The framework for both parading and protests now lies in tatters and the rule of law has been fundamentally undermined.
'The PSNI must now pursue the evidence of lawbreaking without fear or favour.
'The investigation must follow the evidence wherever it leads and the PSNI must be transparent and keep the public informed of each step in the investigation.
'Those who have broken the law must be held to account.
'The Secretary of State is going to have to explain what his Government intends to do to restore confidence in the rule of law.
'We will not allow Sinn Féin or the actions of violent republicans to be rewarded by a crisis that would punish the law-abiding majority of people in Northern Ireland rather than those responsible for wrongdoing and orchestrating mob-rule.'
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.