DUP leader accuses First Minister of defying court over Drumcree parade dispute

Portadown’s Orangemen stayed inside Drumditch Church hall after authorities warned that the Garvaghy Road remained blocked for the planned Drumcree parade. Police issued a formal warning to the demonstrators, while First Minister Michelle O’Neill warned that the episode calls the entire peace process into question and highlighted the need for residents to live without sectarian intimidation. DUP leader Gavin Robinson countered, arguing that a First Minister’s duty is to uphold court decisions, not to stir opposition, and praised the Orangemen’s long-standing respect for the rule of law.

He further accused O’Neill of deliberately breaking the law and suggested she and her supporters should face investigation. The Parades Commission’s decision to allow the march was confirmed in an “unprecedented” sitting, prompting additional comments from unionist MP Carla Lockhart and activist Jamie Bryson, who also called for O’Neill’s removal. Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant urged calm and stressed the importance of preserving power-sharing institutions.