Thousands of protesters have gathered along Garvaghy Road in Portadown, Northern Ireland, blocking a controversial Orange Order parade that was cleared by the courts to pass through the predominantly Catholic area for the first time in almost 30 years.
The Parades Commission had authorised a restricted procession of up to 35 participants, without supporters or bands, reversing a ban that had kept the route closed since 1998. A late-night High Court hearing upheld the decision after an earlier temporary injunction had halted the march.
The Garvaghy Road dispute was one of the defining flashpoints of Northern Ireland’s Troubles, when repeated attempts by the Protestant Orange Order to use the route triggered violent confrontations between communities.
On Sunday, protesters gathered overnight and linked arms across the road to prevent the march from proceeding. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald were among those present at the demonstration.
Police remained between the protesters and marchers as authorities urged calm. The confrontation has renewed political and community tensions over parade routes and competing rights in Northern Ireland.
The developments come nearly three decades after the Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended the region’s prolonged period of political and sectarian violence.
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