Belfast court temporarily halts Orange Order march — The Guardian
The High Court in Belfast, United Kingdom, has temporarily suspended an Orange Order march scheduled for Sunday along Garvaghy Road in Portadown. As The Guardian reports, Judge Smith also halted the decision of the Parades Commission, which on Friday permitted the event on condition that the number of participants be limited.
After a five-hour hearing, the court ruled to suspend the march, which had been due to begin at 8:00 a.m., pending a full consideration of an application for judicial review of the Commission's decision. The Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition filed the last-minute lawsuit.
Call for an agreement
The judge repeatedly urged the parties to agree to a voluntary postponement of the procession, as participants had not had enough time to familiarize themselves with the reasoning behind the Commission's decision. She said the level of mistrust between residents and the Portadown loyalist lodge was extremely high, and neither side accepted the other's assurances.
According to the judge, the longstanding dispute could escalate in Northern Ireland. She called on the parties to step back from the dangerous brink and allow all issues in the case to be properly considered.
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Risk of clashes
Marching along Garvaghy Road had been banned for 28 years following large-scale sectarian violence near Drumcree Church in 1998. Tensions rose after an application was submitted for a counter-march in the predominantly nationalist area. Initially, up to 5,000 people were expected to take part, but the estimate was later reduced to 300.
The Portadown loyalist lodge was not represented at the hearing, but said through the applicant for the event that it did not agree to postpone the procession. An appeal by loyalists against the judge's decision was due to be considered at a separate hearing later that evening.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged leaders to act calmly over the weekend, while Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant called for restraint. The Parades Commission had previously set the procession's start time at 8:00 a.m. and limited the number of participants to 35, but imposed no restrictions on the route.
