Orange Order demands ‘accountability’ after Garvaghy Road parade blockade

Monday 28 September 2026

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has called for those who broke the law during the blockade of the Garvaghy Road to be held to account, while raising questions over the PSNI’s decision not to forcibly clear the route for an Orange Order parade.

The intervention comes after Portadown District LOL No 1 was unable to complete its parade on Sunday despite a Parades Commission determination permitting it to proceed along the Garvaghy Road under specified conditions.

The Commission’s published record lists 60 expected participants, although the Grand Orange Lodge said 35 brethren were involved on Sunday.

Orange Order calls for law to be upheld

In a statement issued following the stand-off, the Grand Orange Lodge said it was “committed to the rule of law prevailing in our land”, arguing that nobody should be considered above the law.

It said Portadown brethren had pursued what it described as a “legal and principled approach” in challenging the Parades Commission’s long-standing restrictions on the route.

“The legal outcome, after challenges and appeals, remains that there is no lawful reason to stop the parade proceeding,” the organisation said.

The parade had been subject to a late legal challenge, but the High Court dismissed the case during a late-night hearing ahead of Sunday’s planned procession.

Claims directed at political nationalism

The Grand Orange Lodge went on to strongly criticise nationalism and republicanism, including unnamed elected representatives, claiming some had chosen to disregard the law when it did not support their position.

It said:

“There are now major political questions to be asked about the illegal actions and subsequent repercussions of a number of elected representives. There is no shortage of evidence of illegality, and we therefore anticipate a swift response which holds lawbreakers to account for their actions.”

The claims about elected representatives are those of the Grand Orange Lodge. The statement did not name the representatives it was referring to or specify the alleged offences.

PSNI response questioned

The organisation acknowledged what it described as the “difficult situation” faced by police but said the PSNI had a duty to uphold the law.

“If the safety of our 35 Brethren cannot be guaranteed, then PSNI need to make that clear and admit that they are unable to police the potential actions of those taking part in the illegal protest,” the statement said.

It added:

“Such a failure has echoes of the high-profile paramilitary funeral during covid and will do little to dispel the view that there are different policing approaches and decisions.”

The PSNI has separately defended its handling of Sunday’s operation. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said police assessed that forcibly removing, at one stage, an estimated 1,000 people — including women, children and older people — would have required a level of force that risked serious injuries and made disorder inevitable.

Police said using force in those circumstances would therefore have been disproportionate. The PSNI has established a dedicated enquiry team to review evidence gathered during the operation and said anyone found to have broken the law will be investigated.

Political scrutiny expected

The Grand Orange Lodge also welcomed what it described as a collaborative response from political unionism and said it expected unionist representatives to scrutinise the actions of others following the events.

It further accused “many within political nationalism” of being unwilling to tolerate Orange and Unionist rights as part of Northern Ireland’s cultural landscape. That characterisation represents the Orange Order’s position and is contested within the wider political debate surrounding parading on the Garvaghy Road.

The Garvaghy Road dispute was one of Northern Ireland’s most contentious parading disputes from the mid-1990s onwards. Sunday’s planned procession would have seen Orangemen parade along the road for the first time in almost three decades.

Question remains over completion of parade

Grand Orange Lodge officers said they remain in regular contact with Portadown District and local elected representatives and will continue to provide support.

With the PSNI operation continuing and evidence from Sunday now under investigation, a central question remains unresolved: whether — and, if so, when — Portadown District will be able to complete its parade along the Garvaghy Road.