DUP MP Rejects Proposed Deal to Resolve Drumcree Parading Dispute

Hillsborough Castle Talks and Competing Stances

Sir Chris Bryant stated on Wednesday that an agreement was tantalisingly close after hosting three days of intensive talks at Hillsborough Castle between representatives of the Portadown Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road residents. Breandán Mac Cionnaith of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition indicated following the meetings that his group would accept a resolution document if the Orange Order agreed to it. Mac Cionnaith stated to media that he could not divulge the contents of the paper, but maintained that any terms accepted by the loyal order would be acceptable. Opposition to the proposal emerged quickly from loyalist representatives. Speaking at a rally in Portadown on Wednesday evening, DUP MP Carla Lockhart told the Press Association that what was on the table was unacceptable and asserted that there would be no capitulation from the Portadown district. Jamie Bryson, a loyalist activist and legal adviser to the Portadown Orangemen, similarly rejected suggestions that a deal was imminent, insisting that the district would not accept any agreement that failed to secure their fundamental objective of walking the Garvaghy Road.

Origins of the Stand-Off and Police Response

The current crisis was ignited after the Parades Commission granted permission for a limited Orange Order parade down the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road for the first time in nearly 30 years. The procession was scheduled for Sunday morning, but police halted loyal order members after more than 1,000 protesters gathered to block the route. Orangemen have remained in the area attempting to conduct the march on multiple occasions, only to be blocked repeatedly by police. Northern Ireland Police Chief Constable Jon Boutcher warned earlier in the week that mob rule must not be allowed to prevail. Boutcher emphasized that while he would continue seeking a way to facilitate the march, his overriding responsibility remains public safety and he is not prepared to push the procession through at any cost. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill returned to the Garvaghy Road to support protesters, defending her participation in Sunday’s unnotified demonstration by stating that there are times in life when individuals must do the right thing. Police confirmed that a large-scale criminal investigation is underway into the mass unlawful protest that blocked the road on Sunday.