Tensions in Portadown: Blockade of the Orange march

In the past, the march through the Catholic enclave in Protestant Portadown was repeatedly a flashpoint in the conflict. For years, the Catholic minority has perceived these marches as a humiliation and a manifestation of the power of loyalists who are opposed to the separation of Northern Ireland from Great Britain. Among the demonstrators blocking the march on Sunday was the head of the government of Northern Ireland - a member of the nationalist Sinn Fein - Michelle O'Neill, as well as the head of that party, Mary Lou McDonald.

McDonald, in a conversation with journalists, announced that the march was "unacceptable and will not be tolerated." She also added that the local Catholic community has its dignity and is "absolutely determined" not to allow itself to be "drawn back into the past." She also called on the British authorities and the police to stop the march. The parade was to start at 8 a.m., but Orangemen who had gathered at Drumcree Church to start the march said they would wait until the road was clear.

The BBC assessed in its report from Portadown that the deadlock could be broken by the British Minister for Northern Ireland, Chris Bryant. He can issue a ban on the march, but only if the Chief Constable of the Police of Northern Ireland requests it first and if he considers that the ban would prevent serious disturbances of public order, the BBC explained, adding that the Chief of Police of Northern Ireland has not yet asked him to do so.

Meanwhile, the impasse continues. "Orange activists are waiting for information from the police to let them know when the road will be clear and they can march. Protesters are still blocking the parade route, claiming they are not going anywhere. The rain is still falling over Drumcree Church," concluded the BBC journalist.