Court ruling revives Portadown parade dispute
The High Court cleared an Orange Order procession along Garvaghy Road, subject to limits imposed by the Parades Commission. Residents gathered to protest.
Northern Ireland’s High Court has allowed the Orange Order to march along Garvaghy Road in Portadown for the first time in 28 years, reopening a long-running dispute over the route through a mainly Catholic area.
The ruling followed the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn a temporary injunction granted on Saturday. The High Court then rejected residents’ final attempt to stop the procession.
The Parades Commission, the independent body that rules on disputed marches, capped the procession at 35 people, barred bands and accompanying supporters, and required it to finish by 9:30am.
Residents gathered along the road before the march. First Minister Michelle O’Neill backed their right to protest and called for calm. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald condemned the ruling, while Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly urged people to stay away and rejected threats of violence.
The route was a flashpoint during the Troubles, when repeated attempts to march along Garvaghy Road triggered protests, violence and major security operations in the 1990s.
