Stormont MLA Gerry Carroll summoned for police interview over Garvaghy Road protest

Gerry Carroll, a People Before Profit MLA, disclosed that he received a police invitation to give a voluntary interview under caution about his involvement in the Garvaghy Road protests. He plans to consult a solicitor and reiterated that standing with local residents is a legitimate act of civil disobedience. The Police Service of Northern Ireland has entered the next phase of a broad criminal inquiry, issuing letters to individuals it believes may have broken the law after the Parades Commission approved an Orange Order march along the Garvaghy Road, a route blocked for nearly 30 years.

Unionist parties have attacked First Minister Michelle O’Neill and other Sinn Féin ministers for being on the ground, filing no-confidence motions against several senior officials. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher warned of “consequences” for lawbreakers, while Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said the investigation would proceed without impacting the parallel civil case before the Court of Appeal. DUP leader Gavin Robinson and UUP leader Jon Burrows called for transparent, impartial enforcement, stressing that political status should not shield anyone from prosecution.