Drumcree ruling: ​Parades Commission is in a very bad place - and one resignation hasn't solved 'crisis of confidence' in body - DUP

Newry and Armagh Assembly member Gareth Wilson while has also challenged Sinn Fein over what he called its “continuing intolerance towards loyal order culture”.

The comments come after parades commissioner Billy Gamble quit last week, following revelations during a High Court case where he sought to avoid mediation over the Drumcree dispute. The body’s ruling banning the church parade from the Garvaghy Road area of Portadown was quashed by the court.

Mr Wilson said: “The Parades Commission is in a very bad place. One resignation has not resolved the fundamental crisis of confidence created by the revelations of the past week.

“There are serious questions for the chair, the secretary and the remaining commissioners. The Secretary of State must consider those questions properly and urgently.

“He cannot simply declare that confidence has been restored on behalf of a unionist community which clearly feels otherwise. I am yet to meet anyone who can be convinced that confidence can be rebuilt by the present Commission.”

At the weekend, Sinn Fein minister Liz Kimmins said “disruption” in Newry city centre was “absolutely atrocious” and claimed residents were “hemmed into their homes” during a Last Saturday parade.

Mr Wilson hit back, saying it “was a peaceful, dignified and hugely successful celebration of culture, faith and tradition. Yet its aftermath once again exposed Sinn Fein’s deep-seated intolerance towards the loyal orders.

“Sinn Fein representatives continually talk about respect, equality and shared space, but their words ring hollow when faced with a unionist cultural tradition they do not like.

“Shared space cannot mean space in which only republican culture is welcomed.

“Genuine respect must work both ways, and Sinn Fein’s reaction to Newry shows that they still have a considerable distance to travel.”