NI Secretary Sir Chris Bryant bans Drumcree parade
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has announced that he is to ban the contentious Drumcree parade.
Sir Chris told the Press Association it had not not been possible to find accommodation between the Orange Order and nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown.
The stand-off between the two sides has lasted almost two weeks.
The Parades Commission ruled two weeks ago that the march could pass along the Garvaghy Road with restrictions in place.
But the parade, from Drumcree Church into Portadown, did not happen because of a large protest on the road.
Sir Chris told PA: “Everybody will have seen over the last two weeks that there’s been a major stand-off and a difficult situation in Drumcree and Portadown.
“I’ve been trying to find a solution to that stand-off.
“I’ve had both sides of the argument, both the Garvaghy Road residents and the Orange Order in.
“We’ve been talking it through, trying to find a solution, and unfortunately, we’ve not been able to do that.”
He added: “Earlier today, the chief constable of the PSNI got in touch with me and asked me to look at the original determination by the Parades Commission to see whether it should still stand, and I’ve looked at the changing situation in Portadown, the fact that it’s very difficult for that procession to proceed, and I’ve decided that it’s not in the public interest for it to proceed, and I’ve therefore banned the procession.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub