Orange Order Parade Standoff in Northern Ireland Extends, Political Tension Grows
Standoff and Political Repercussions in Northern Ireland
By Amanda Ferguson
Standoff Between Orange Order and Residents
BELFAST, Sept 28 (Reuters) - A standoff between the Protestant Orange Order and residents blocking them marching through a Catholic area of a Northern Irish town extended to a second day on Monday as talks with Britain's minister for the region did not reach a breakthrough.
About 2,000 protesters, including Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill, blocked the route ahead of the scheduled march on Sunday. This led to a standoff, with both sides declining to disperse and police remaining between them.
A lawmaker from the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest pro-British party, warned of "profound" consequences if the parade did not proceed in the next two days as Britain's Northern Ireland Minister Chris Bryant sought compromise.
"It's not quite clear what that will look like yet but a bit through the mist, I can see maybe what that might look like if I can persuade everybody to sign up," Bryant said after separate talks with the Orange Order, residents and politicians.
Orange Order's Position
ORANGE ORDER STAY PUT UNTIL THEY CAN MARCH
Orange Order members described their meeting with Bryant as "constructive", while the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition reiterated a call for an international independent mediator.
The attempt to hold the parade from Portadown to the nearby hamlet of Drumcree followed Friday's lifting of an almost 30-year ban on the route. The parade had triggered unrest across British-run Northern Ireland in the run-up to a 1998 peace deal.
Ongoing Demonstrations and Police Involvement
A small number of Orange Order members in traditional silk orange sashes and black bowler hats remained at the start of the route on Monday and walked up to a police line a number of times where they were told officers could not facilitate the march.
"We will be here until we are allowed to go down," one member told police, a video posted on the Belfast Telegraph's website showed.
A large group of protesters, some playing music and sitting under gazebos, also remained by the Garvaghy Road.
Role of the Parades Commission
Northern Ireland's Parades Commission, set up during the original Drumcree dispute to regulate marches, on Friday permitted a smaller-than-usual parade after its initial decision to continue the ban was quashed by a court in August over a procedural error.
The commission conceded during a legal challenge brought by the Orange Order that not all six of its members had signed off on the final determination before it was issued.
Most of the thousands of annual parades pass peacefully across Northern Ireland without restriction.
Rising Political Tension
Government and Political Leaders' Responses
Bryant has the power to revoke the Parades Commission's ruling at the request of Northern Ireland's police, but said he had received no such request.
The Orange Order and some unionist politicians have said the dispute also shows their traditions would not be tolerated if Northern Ireland unified with Ireland, a nationalist goal US President Donald Trump unexpectedly threw his enthusiastic support behind during a visit to Dublin this month.
Impact on Power-Sharing Government
The dispute has created new tension in Northern Ireland's compulsory power-sharing devolved government that is led by the rival Sinn Fein and DUP parties and has collapsed a number of times since the peace agreement.
O'Neill has said the dispute brings into question how the peace process works. DUP leader Gavin Robinson said there could "not be business as usual", calling again on Monday for O'Neill and others to be investigated for attending the protest.
Police and Legal Response
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement that it was reviewing evidence gathered at what it said was an "unlawful and unnotified protest" and that anyone who broke the law will be investigated.
(Writing by Padraic Halpin, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Andrew Heavens)