United Kingdom

UK: Drumcree March Stalls as Protesters Block Garvaghy Road

Is banning the Garvaghy Road parade respecting a community's right to peace or letting intimidation override lawful rights?

10 hours ago·Updated 6 hours ago

UK: Drumcree March Stalls as Protesters Block Garvaghy Road

Story

Above: Nationalists block the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, Northern Ireland, on Sept. 27. Image credit: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Forcing a parade through a neighborhood that has never wanted it is provocation. Residents of Garvaghy Road carry real memories of fear and violence, and their right to live in peace outweighs anyone's desire for "tradition" or a triumphant spectacle. Respecting a community's clearly stated wishes is the bare minimum for anything calling itself a shared society.

Claire Hanna on X

The SDLP on X

Upper Bann Sinn Féin on X

Narrative B

A public road belongs to everyone, and a lawful parade should never be canceled because a mob threatens violence. Letting intimidation override a legally binding ruling rewards sectarianism and teaches that rights only exist where they are popular. Nearly three decades on from the Good Friday Agreement, tolerance that stops at one tradition is no tolerance at all.

David Vance on X

Nathan Brownlee on X