In Northern Ireland, some 2,000 counter-protesters blocked the route of the controversial Orange march. The Protestant parade had for the first time in 28 years received permission to march through a Catholic neighborhood in the Northern Irish city of Portadown.
The parade often ended in violence in the 1990s and was therefore banned since 1998. On Friday, the Northern Ireland Parades Commission nevertheless granted permission to the Protestant Orange Order to march along Garvaghy Road, under strict conditions. For example, the parade had to be held in the morning, only 35 people were allowed to participate, and no marching bands or other supporters were permitted.
Nevertheless, there were fears of confrontations. Garvaghy Road is a Catholic enclave in the largely Protestant city of Portadown.
Route blocked
A group of more than thirty people from the Orange Order was to start the march this morning at 9:00 AM Dutch time, but the parade has not yet started. During the night, several hundred counter-demonstrators had already gathered along the route of the march. Footage shows hundreds of people standing on the road arm in arm to block passage.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Bryant, is on his way to Northern Ireland. He calls the protest "illegal" and urges people to listen to the police.
The Troubles
The cause of the tensions lies in the thirty-year conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, also called 'The Troubles.' In this conflict, Catholic republicans, who advocate for a united Ireland, stood opposed to Protestant, pro-British unionists. More than 3,500 people lost their lives and over 40,000 were injured. Numerous murders remain unsolved. Despite the 1998 peace agreement, tensions between the two camps still exist.
Among the counter-demonstrators are also politicians: Northern Irish Michelle O'Neill of the Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin and party leader Mary Lou McDonald spoke out strongly against the march this morning.
"Why did the Parades Commission think today, after a 28-year ban, it was a good idea to bring this misery back into this community?" O'Neill said to reporters. She added that it "raises questions about the functioning of the entire peace process."
Deputy Prime Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said there was "no question of violence or threat from the Orange Order" and advocated that the march should proceed.
British Prime Minister Burnham said he spoke this morning with Chris Bryant, the Northern Ireland Secretary. "I know the situation is tense and we call on all parties to remain calm," Burnham said in a television program. "Much progress has been made in Northern Ireland and we do not want the situation to deteriorate again."
The Orange marches of the pro-British unionists are named after the Dutch stadtholder William III. He became king of England at the end of the 17th century by marrying the Protestant daughter of the Catholic King James II and subsequently deposing his father-in-law.