Irish leaders urge UK Secretary to block contentious Drumcree parade on Garvaghy Road
Labour leader Ivana Bacik called on the UK Secretary of State to use Section 11 powers to ban the Orange Order’s Drumcree march down Garvaghy Road, warning it could revive deep sectarian wounds.
In a Dáil address, Labour leader Ivana Bacik condemned the Parades Commission’s approval of the Orange Order’s Drum Drumcree march on Garvaghy Road, describing it as reckless and harmful after nearly three decades of prohibition. She appealed to Sir Chris Bryant, the Secretary of State, to exercise Section 11 of the Public Processions Act, which allows a ban without a PSNI veto, to prevent potential violence. Bacik highlighted the lack of any material change in circumstances that previously justified the ban.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned that the episode threatens the progress made under the Good Friday Agreement and supported appointing an independent international mediator. Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald also urged the Irish and British governments to act, emphasizing the need for peace and freedom from sectarian intimidation for the Garvaghy Road community.
Why it matters
The proposed march could spark sectarian violence, undermining decades of peace efforts in Northern Ireland.
How this story developed
- Sep 22 Garvaghy Road residents urge parade regulator to block Orange Order march
- Sep 25 The Parades Commission has now granted permission for a limited march on Garvaghy Road.
- Sep 26 High Court issues temporary injunction preventing the Orange Order march on Garvaghy Road.
- Sep 27 Courts cleared the way for the Orange Order parade, but protesters blocked Garvagh Road.
- Sep 28 Breandán Mac Cionnaith announced a new negotiation process as the Garvaghy Road blockade eased.
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