Bryant accused of ‘disgraceful appeasement’ by stopping parade

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Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has been accused of “disgraceful appeasement” after he stepped in to stop an Orange Order parade route.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson called for more information about the decision to be made public, questioning whether there had been a “bending of the knee of the rule of law in the threat of terror and violence”.

A legal challenge will be heard on Monday to Sir Chris’ decision to act following a decision by the Parades Commission to allow the Drumcree parade to go along the Garvaghy Road for the first time in almost 30 years.

It sparked a reawakening of the former flashpoint with large crowds opposed to the parade gathering on the Garvaghy Road which effectively prevented the parade from taking place.

Police are undertaking a large-scale criminal investigation into potential breaches of the law during the 12-day stand-off.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill is one of a number of Sinn Féin members, as well as People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll, who have received a letter from police inviting them to attend a voluntary interview as part of that probe.

Monday will also see the issuing of a judgment in the Court of Appeal in Belfast following a legal challenge of the Parades Commission decision.

Sir Chris has described his intervention as being in the best interests of peace and that he had received advice from the PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher that allowing the parade to go ahead could lead to serious injury, disorder and wider unrest.

Mr Robinson claimed Sir Chris used powers extraordinarily which were never used during some of the worst days of the Troubles.

“What we saw on Friday disgracefully was the appeasement to threats of violence and disorder, appeasement in the face of threats of terror,” he told BBC Northern Ireland’s Sunday Politics programme.

“There are profound consequences for society.

“I think the chief constable needs to be very open with the people of Northern Ireland, what was the threat of terror? What was the threat that he perceived and that he indicated to the Secretary of State?

“An extraordinary set of circumstances, powers used that have never been used before, and that will be opened in the courts, but were dissident republicans threatening violence? Did he have intelligence that firearms had been brought to that area? Are we seeing a bending of the knee of the rule of law in the threat of terror and violence?

“Those are serious and significant questions.”

Mr Robinson also said he believes that Sinn Féin has “given up on devolution” and are “goading unionists into taking action” in terms of collapsing power-sharing government at Stormont.

But he said the question is whether that would make the situation better.

“Leadership isn’t about taking the easy choice; it’s about taking the right choice,” he said.

“Does collapsing Stormont bring the Orange men home, what happens the next day … if we are seriously and rightly angry about the decision the Secretary of State has taken, who in their right mind would ask him to govern Northern Ireland? I certainly wouldn’t.”

Sinn Féin MLA John O’Dowd said the Garvaghy Road residents responded in a peaceful way to the prospect of the parade.

“The residents have faced an awful four weeks since this application was lodged on attempts by people who are opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, who are opposed to reconciliation, who are opposed to moving forward, attempting to drive an unwanted march down the road, and the community responded in a peaceful, democratic way to that decision,” he said.

“I don’t think that continued demonisation and attempt to criminalise the community of the Garvaghy Road is an appropriate way forward. What we need in Portadown is reconciliation.”

Mr O’Dowd also said he had received a letter from police in terms of their investigation after being in the Garvaghy Road area himself.

He stood over his actions saying: “I think it was the right thing to do.

“I got into politics to stand against the intimidation of communities such as the Garvaghy Road, who went through hell and high water over many, many years.

“I stood with the people of the Garvaghy Road. I will continue to stand with the people of Garvaghy Road because it was the right thing to do, and it was in defence of the Good Friday Agreement and the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.”

Mr O’Dowd also contended there are “many within the unionist community who were opposed to what was going on at Drumcree Hill”.

“There were over 1,000 members of the Protestant community signed a letter urging the Orange men not to march down the road,” he said.

“There was deep concern within elements of the unionist community about what was going on, and the Orange Order does not represent the unionist community. They are an important part of the unionist community, but they are not the unionist community.”

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