Drumcree: Sinn Fein says people on 'nationalist' road don't want Orange parade - and it's 'a non-starter'
The Portadown road at the centre of the Drumcree parade dispute is “a nationalist area” and the idea of an Orange Order procession taking place there is “a non-starter”, according to a Sinn Fein councillor.
Catherine Nelson said the parade is a “dangerous attempt by unionist leaders to reignite the closed issue of an unwanted march on Garvaghy Road”.
The comments come as the Orange Order submitted a fresh bid to parade down the road, a route the Protestant organisation has been banned from for 28 years. Under its latest bid, 60 Orangemen with no bands would complete the parade at the end of September.
The Parades Commission, who will decide whether it will proceed, is required to encourage mediation. However, Sinn Fein has made clear it does not support any discussion over the parade.
Sinn Fein says its true intention is to “re-establish repeated unwanted parades” on the public throughfare.
Councillor Nelson said: “The issue of unwanted Orange marches on the Garvaghy Road is closed.
“Today’s announcement from the Orange Order reveals their true intention, which is to re-establish repeated unwanted parades on the Garvaghy Road.
“This march is steeped in a history of hate, sectarian violence, and murder.
“It is a supremacist march, and the only reason it wants to go down Garvaghy Road is because it is a nationalist area.
“The people of Garvaghy Road do not want this parade forced through their area. It is a non-starter.
“They deserve to live in peace and to be able to get on with their lives, without this shadow of intimidation and fear hanging over them.
“28 years of peace is not a problem that requires a solution. It is progress that needs protected”.
Ms Nelson added: “Unionist leaders and the Orange Order need to respect the wishes of the people of Garvaghy Road and leave them to live in peace.
“Sinn Féin stands fully with the Garvaghy Road community.”
A fresh application was submitted by the Orange Order for the walk down the Garvaghy Road, after the previous decision by the Parades Commission was ruled unlawful.
One of the six commissioners, Billy Gamble, has already quit in the wake of last Tuesday’s High Court judgment which revealed flaws in the body’s decision making over the parade application.
The body is now to face a judge-led independent review of its operations – ordered by the Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant.