Northern Ireland secretary bans contentious Orange Order parade in Portadown
The UK government has prohibited a controversial Orange Order parade along Garvaghy Road in Portadown following a two-week standoff.
The British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has prohibited a controversial Orange Order parade through a predominantly Catholic neighborhood in Portadown, resolving a two-week standoff.
The Parades Commission had initially permitted 35 members of the Protestant organization to complete a silent march along Garvaghy Road on September 27. However, thousands of local residents and protesters blocked the route, preventing the group from staging what would have been its first parade in the area in nearly three decades.
Amid ongoing deadlock and security concerns, the British government stepped in to issue an official ban on the event.
Sources: Morgunblaðið