Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has officially banned the Orange Order from marching down the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown, Armagh.
In a statement tonight, Mr Bryant said he had not taken the decision “lightly”:
“Respect for the rule of law is fundamental to our society and I am grateful to those who have behaved peacefully and legally and sought to ease tensions in their respective communities. Those who have acted unlawfully should face the consequences of their actions,” said the NI secretary.
“I am also grateful to all those who took part in good faith in the negotiations at Hillsborough. I heard the concerns of people on all sides and I only regret that we could not reach a compromise on a way forward and that many residents across Portadown have felt anxious and worried.”
“With this in mind, I call for all protests, rallies and demonstrations to be stood down. There is no excuse for a continued ratcheting up of tensions.”
The Secretary for Northern Ireland’s decision to ban the parade followed Northern Ireland’s chief constable Jon Boutcher’s request for Bryant to review the Parades Commission ruling which gave the contentious Orange Order march at Drumcree the go-ahead.
The PNSI’s chief constable welcomed tonight’s decision, having asked the NI Secretary to review matter under section 9 of the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998.
“I outlined in my letter to the Secretary of State that my current assessment was that all available, lawful and proportionate options to facilitate completion of the procession had been exhausted,” he said.
“Any remaining options would have required a substantial public order intervention that was not assessed to be proportionate, and which would have carried an unacceptable risk of serious injury, disorder and a wider contagion affect across Northern Ireland. Further to this, such an operation would in my view have had not only catastrophic long term consequences for trust and confidence in policing, but for the Northern Ireland Executive and the peace process.
“I also outlined in the letter that mediation and political engagement had not produced a sustainable agreement, and the position of the respective parties had become more entrenched.”