Bryant tables Drumcree compromise as Garvaghy Road parade standoff enters fourth day

Deadlock over Drumcree parade

A standoff over a contested parade route in Portadown entered its fourth day following a legal ruling on Sunday. The Court of Appeal overturned a High Court injunction that had prohibited the Orange Order from marching along the Garvaghy Road, a predominantly nationalist area in County Armagh. In response, local nationalist residents established a continuous blockade to prevent the loyalist marching group from passing through. A small contingent of Orange Order members remained stationed at Drumcree church, the traditional starting point of the parade, vowing not to leave until the procession goes ahead. Approximately 200 protesters gathered along the road in tents to sustain the obstruction.

Negotiations at Hillsborough Castle

Talks aimed at ending the dispute entered their third day at Hillsborough Castle outside Belfast under the mediation of Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant. Discussions resumed after Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition spokesperson Breandán Mac Cionnaith had described earlier mediation efforts on Tuesday as dead in the water. On Wednesday afternoon, Bryant presented a draft compromise document to both delegations, stating that a resolution was tantalisingly close if each side made concessions. Mac Cionnaith confirmed receipt of the document and stated that residents would accept the terms if the Orange Order agreed to them. Bryant publicly appealed to both sides to find room for compromise to secure a long-term agreement.

I would just appeal to everybody - including the wider community, not just the people I have been meeting in the room - that people are going to have to search deep in their souls for another chunk of compromise if we're going to get to a successful long-term resolution of the situation.

Loyalist reaction and political presence

Unionist representatives rejected any proposal that would prevent Portadown Orangemen from completing their march along the Garvaghy Road. Speaking at a loyalist rally held in support of the lodge on Wednesday evening, Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament Carla Lockhart insisted that members would never agree to walk away. Several high-profile politicians visited the demonstration on the Garvaghy Road, including Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O'Neill. On Wednesday night, members of the traditional music band Beoga joined the demonstration, performing inside a protest tent and expressing public support for the residents.

We are more determined than ever to ensure that the Portadown District walk down the Garvaghy Road and I can tell you now, there'll be no capitulation on the part of the Portadown district. They will not accept a deal where they walk away.

Police investigation into the blockade

Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher announced that a large-scale criminal investigation had begun into the unnotified protest blocking the road. Boutcher noted that gathering evidence and executing a criminal justice process were operational priorities following the blockade that started on Sunday. Alongside Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, police leadership offered to hold a series of meetings with both the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road Residents' Association. Boutcher reiterated that police officers and mutual aid personnel would continue to enforce Parades Commission determinations independently without permitting violent disorder.

To be clear the upholding of the Parades Commission determination does not come at any cost. The outstanding officers of the PSNI and our mutual aid colleagues will not allow society to implode into violent disorder and mob rule must not be allowed to win.