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The Orange Order can march through a Catholic neighborhood again after 28 years, reigniting Protestant-Catholic tension in Northern Ireland. Its parade triggered major clashes between pro-British groups and Republicans in the 1990s.
Northern Ireland's court accepted the application to let the pro-British Protestant Orange Order hold its annual procession along Garvaghy Road, where Catholics live in Drumcree.
The Independent Parades Commission, set up to make marches and protests between the sides peaceful, ruled that the section, last carried out in 1997 and banned in 1998, can take place on Sunday.
The commission ruled that only 35 people may march and banned accompanying bands, drawing swift reactions from Orange Order members, Catholics, and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill.
Orange Order members said the ban on the historic Garvaghy Road route has ended and the walk can go ahead without restrictions. Catholics voiced fear that the parade, blamed for major clashes in 1995, 1996 and 1997, would revive old tensions.
Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition spokesman Breandan Mac Coinnaith noted that the group filed a petition with 4,000 signatures asking the court to block the procession. "Everyone knows our neighbors share the view that the march should not be allowed," he said.
Saying the march would inflame social tension, O'Neill started a road blockade with a group of Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein members. Attempts to break 28 years of peace in the region have restarted, she told reporters during the action. "The Orange Order and unionists are taking us backward," she added.
Pro-union activist and marcher Jamie Bryson criticized O'Neill's presence among the protesters closing the road. "The so-called First Minister is stopping the march by illegally blocking the road. Serious questions have emerged over their commitment to the law," he said.
Democratic Unionist Party lawmaker Jonathan Buckley, who supports keeping Northern Ireland part of Britain, criticized the governing nationalist Sinn Fein. "Sinn Fein and Garvaghy Road residents have told the Orange Order for 28 years that the Parades Commission made a decision. Now everyone must abide by the rules," he said.
Dating back to 1807, the Orange Order's annual march faced temporary blocks on various routes in different years. The British Army took security measures in the area after the 1995 killing of a Catholic activist, yet marches through 1997 still saw clashes between the two sides. Garvaghy Road, however, has seen no permitted passage since 1998.
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