Hundreds of Orangemen paraded through Portadown town centre on Saturday, joined by bands and supporters who braved stormy weather. The rally was organised by the Portadown District Lodge and came after a stand-off between Orangemen and Garvaghy Road residents lasting almost two weeks ended with Sir Chris banning the parade on 9 October, following advice from the PSNI chief constable.
The Drumcree dispute centres on the Orange Order's traditional route down the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road, which it has been barred from walking for decades. The Parades Commission decided last month that the march could go ahead on 27 September with restrictions, after its original decision to stop it was overturned in court. Up to 1,000 people, including nationalist politicians, blocked the road that morning, preventing Orangemen from marching from Drumcree Church. Residents maintained a constant presence on the road until the ban was imposed, and repeated attempts by the order to walk the route were stopped by police.
The Portadown event was very much an Orange Order occasion rather than a political rally, the BBC reported, but many of the speeches carried a political tone. There was explicit criticism of PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, the secretary of state and the first minister, and implicit criticism of the leaders of the two biggest unionist parties, the DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party.
DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who was among the crowds and was the only politician to take to the stage, stood down as a party officer on Thursday. She repeated her challenge to the DUP leadership, saying: "Profound consequences must mean profound consequences. Michelle O'Neill must go. That's where I stand, and this lady is not for turning." She said the DUP had it "within its gift to remove" O'Neill as first minister, which would also remove DUP Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, as the two ministers share an office and cannot function without one another. O'Neill took part in the Garvaghy Road protests and attended police interviews this week over her involvement.
Portadown District Master Nigel Dawson warned politicians they could face consequences at the next election. "Politicians need to remember that we put them into office and we can take them out of office," he said, adding that the order had won the right "to return home via our traditional route and Portadown District intends to exercise that right on a date and time of our choosing, and if necessary, without further recourse."
Deputy District Master Alistair Power urged unity, saying Drumcree must not be allowed to divide unionism. "It should not be used by parties to attack each other publicly over differences of opinion," he said. "We need to stand united." The loudest cheers of the day were for the order's legal adviser Jamie Bryson and for Lockhart, who was presented with a gift for her support of the Orangemen.