An Orange Order parade was cleared to travel along Garvaghy Road in Portadown, Northern Ireland, for the first time in almost 30 years after Belfast’s High Court approved it early Sunday. Thousands gathered to block the march; Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for calm.
The court’s final go-ahead came after a hearing that ended at 2:15 a.m. Sunday. Fireworks were set off nearby about five minutes before the 8 a.m. start, and a loudspeaker warned protesters they could be arrested for joining an unlicensed counter-parade; many wore balaclavas.
Garvaghy Road was a flashpoint before the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended bloodshed that left 3,600 people dead and about 50,000 wounded. Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said residents would not be drawn back to the past; DUP leader Gavin Robinson accused Sinn Féin leaders of inflaming the situation and said the rule of law should be respected.
