Mary Lou McDonald said Sinn Féin will co-operate with any PSNI inquiry into the Garvaghy Road protest, where demonstrators have occupied the road since 27 September over a contested Orange Order march. The PSNI described the gathering as unnotified and illegal, while the Parades Commission permitted the parade with restrictions, prompting legal challenges. Sinn Féin leaders' presence at rallies drew criticism from unionist politicians. McDonald has urged the Secretary of State to halt the march and create space for mediation to prevent a return to past violence.
Sinn Féin To Cooperate With PSNI As Garvaghy Road Protest Deepens, McDonald Says
Mary Lou McDonald spoke at the protest on the Garvaghy Road on Saturday [PA Media]
Sinn Féin has confirmed it will co-operate with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) over any investigation into the ongoing protest on the Garvaghy Road, party president Mary Lou McDonald has said.
Protesters have remained on the Garvaghy Road since Sunday 27 September amid renewed tensions over a proposed Orange Order parade in Portadown. Rallies on both sides of the dispute were held on Saturday, and senior Sinn Féin figures including Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill have attended demonstrations.
Police Warning And Sinn Féin Response
The PSNI described the gathering as unnotified and "therefore illegal," warning that anyone "found to have broken the law will face criminal justice consequences." McDonald told the BBC's Sunday Politics programme:
"There is no question with us co-operating with any process that will unfold."She added:
"There are moments in political life where you have to take a stand, and this is one of those moments."
DUP MP Carla Lockhart speaking at a rally in support of the Orange Order on Saturday [PA Media]
Parades Commission Decision And Legal Challenges
The Parades Commission decided the Orange Order's parade — which is opposed by residents of the Garvaghy Road — could proceed on Sunday 27 September with restrictions. Residents lodged a fresh legal bid to block the march; that hearing was due on Friday but was postponed until Monday, and the commission's ruling was subject to further court challenges over the weekend.
Political Reactions
The presence of McDonald and O'Neill at the rallies drew sharp condemnation from unionist politicians, including members of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said on social media that the "behaviour of Michelle O'Neill and her party has been disgraceful" and described it as a "complete abdication of leadership."
DUP MP Carla Lockhart warned of lasting consequences if "mob rule wins over the rule of law," calling on the police to "step up and do their job" and urging genuine residents to come forward so further resolutions could be explored.
[BBC]
Calls For Intervention And Context
McDonald said Sinn Féin has pressed the Northern Ireland Secretary of State and Ireland's Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, to intervene. She criticised the Parades Commission's decision as "incomprehensible and wrong," and urged the Secretary of State to step in to halt the march and create space for mediation.
Drumcree and the Garvaghy Road were at the centre of some of Northern Ireland's most volatile parade disputes in the 1990s, when attempts by the Orange Order to march the route prompted riots, roadblocks and fatalities. In 1998 the newly established Parades Commission ruled that the Orange Order should not march down the road — a restriction that stood for many years until recent court rulings and a fresh application to parade reignited the dispute.
The situation remains fluid: police warnings, political protests and legal challenges mean the immediate outlook is uncertain, and authorities and political leaders on all sides say they are working to avoid a return to the violent confrontations of the past.
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