COURT ALLOWS ORANGE ORDER MARCH ON GARVAGHY ROAD AFTER 28 YEARS

Northern Ireland's High Court has allowed an Orange Order parade to proceed along the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, the first such march through the mainly Catholic area in 28 years. The decision followed a rapid legal back-and-forth: Justice Patricia Smyth had granted a temporary injunction suspending the parade after a five-hour hearing on Saturday, but the Court of Appeal, led by Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan, ruled that the High Court judge had "erred in law" and overturned the injunction. A further application to block the parade was dismissed in the early hours of Sunday morning by Justice Michael Humphreys, who described the case as involving "unusual if not unprecedented circumstances" and said the threshold to overturn the Parades Commission's decision had not been met. The parade was scheduled to proceed at 8am on Sunday. Large crowds gathered on the road beforehand, with reports that protesters planned to link arms to block the route peacefully.

The Garvaghy Road became a focal point of conflict between largely Catholic, pro-Irish republican and Protestant, pro-UK unionist communities during Northern Ireland's three decades of conflict, and the march had been banned since 1998 following sectarian violence outside Drumcree church. The Orange Order is a Protestant organisation closely associated with unionism. Justice Smyth had urged all parties on Saturday to "step back from the abyss" and act responsibly "for the sake of everyone in Northern Ireland", warning that the dispute had the potential to escalate.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill, of Sinn Fein, joined residents opposing the parade and called for calm on all sides, while Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald called the court's decision "disgraceful" and said her party stood with the Garvaghy Road community. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, of the Democratic Unionist Party, urged people to stay away from the area and said threats of violence were unacceptable, adding that no one in Northern Ireland wants violence or disorder.