The parade, planned for Sunday morning (September 27, Northern Ireland time), was the first attempt to walk the route since it was banned in 1998, the year the Good Friday Agreement largely ended the three decades of sectarian violence known as the Troubles. The ban was lifted by authorities, but residents sought a last-minute injunction. Belfast's High Court dismissed that application in a late-night sitting on Saturday.
Despite the court ruling, protesters gathered in the rain on Garvaghy Road, a Catholic enclave in the largely Protestant town. Among them was Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, who called the situation "madness."
"This, in fact, is primitive treatment of any community in the year 2026. It is intolerable," McDonald told reporters from the road.
The leaders of Ireland and Britain, co-guarantors of the peace accord, appealed for calm. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said, "There have been big gains made in Northern Ireland and we don't want to see things go backwards."
The Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal organisation, had historically marched through the area annually, triggering widespread unrest across the British-run region before the route ban was imposed. Sunday's standoff saw both sides holding their ground with police forming a barrier between them. No arrests or violence have been reported.