Northern Ireland secretary says he will ban Drumcree parade

The Northern Ireland secretary of state has banned the Drumcree parade after a 13-day impasse between the Orange Order and nationalists, according to The Guardian — Politics.

The decision was made by Chris Bryant, who announced on Friday night that it was “not in the public interest” for Orangemen to march the contested route through Garvaghy Road in Portadown, which Catholic residents had blocked.

The Parades Commission ruled two weeks ago that a small, circumscribed march could pass along Garvaghy Road – a reversal of 28 years of successive bans.

However, police prevented the Orangemen from marching after thousands of residents and supporters, including Sinn Féin leaders, blocked the road.

Garvaghy Road residents welcomed the secretary of state’s decision, saying it brought relief and certainty after a tense standoff that revived memories of the 1990s, when Orangemen fought pitched battles with police in an attempt to march the route.

The Irish government welcomed the decision and appealed to both sides to seek common ground, with the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, saying “This isn’t a time for triumphalism or claiming victories or anything like that.”

The Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader, Gavin Robinson, accused Boutcher and Bryant of bowing to republican agitation and threats of potential violence, saying “These decisions are a mistake, and send profound signals that the country should be run on force of numbers and who shouts the loudest.”

Robinson asked the secretary to state to explain what the government will do to “restore confidence in the rule of law.”

The chief constable, Jon Boutcher, had advised Bryant that the parade “would carry an unacceptable risk of serious injury, disorder and a wider contagion effect” across Northern Ireland.

Bryant said he took the decision after advice from Boutcher, the chief constable of the Northern Ireland Police Service.

The decision was made after a nearly two-week standoff between the Orange Order and nationalists.

The Drumcree parade has been a contentious issue for years, with the Parades Commission ruling in favour of the Orangemen in the past.

However, the situation has changed in recent years, with the commission ruling that a small, circumscribed march could pass along Garvaghy Road.

The decision to ban the parade has been welcomed by Garvaghy Road residents, who said it brought relief and certainty after a tense standoff.

The Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald, and the party’s Northern Ireland first minister, Michelle O’Neill, said in a statement that residents had endured fear and anxiety.

The statement said “There will be an enormous sense of relief within the community this evening.”