Sir Chris Bryant’s comments came as thousands of protesters continue to blockade the predominately nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown in a bid to prevent a contentious Orange Order parade passing.
asserted
thousands → come → passing
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and other senior party figures joined those protesting on the road on Sunday, prompting accusations of law breaking from unionists.
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O’Neill → join → unionists
Under parading legislation in the region, protests against parades must be notified and approved by the Parades Commission adjudication body.
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protests → notify → body
Ms O’Neill and other ministers in the Stormont Executive are bound by a pledge of office that contains a commitment to uphold the law.
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that → bind → law
Through Sunday, police repeatedly notified the protesters through a loudspeaker that they are liable for arrest for blocking the road.
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they → notify → road
“We can’t have a situation where people who have the privilege of holding high office in Northern Ireland so flagrantly disregard the pledge of office and statutory underpinnings of their office,” he told media in Belfast on Sunday afternoon.
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he → have → afternoon
A ruling by the Parades Commission permitting the Orange Order march from Drumcree Church and along the Garvaghy Road was upheld in an “unprecedented” late-night sitting of the High Court in Belfast in the early hours of Sunday morning.
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ruling → permit → morning
The Drumcree parade, which was associated with violent clashes during the Troubles, has been banned since 1998.
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which → associate → 1998
Protesters, many of them wearing balaclavas, clustered in large groups in heavy rain along the road on Sunday morning, a move that delayed the scheduled 8am start of the parade.
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that → wear → parade
The stand-off has continued through the day and into the evening, with Orangemen waiting at Drumcree Church around a mile from the road waiting to commence their parade.
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Orangemen → continue → parade
Around 6pm, several Orangemen emerged from the church hall and walked down the hill where they were met by police.
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they → emerge → police
Officers subsequently told senior members of the institution that they could not have more than 35 people on the hill – as that was a restriction placed on the parade by the commission.
uncertain
that → tell → commission
The escalating political row over the parade is set to test the stability of the powersharing institutions in Belfast.
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row → escalate → Belfast
Mr Robinson was asked whether he was prepared to continue to work with Sinn Féin.
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he → ask → Féin
If either the DUP or Sinn Féin withdrew from the executive, the devolved government would effectively collapse.
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government → withdraw → executive
“Our party is maintaining the dignity of the Portadown Orangemen as they have shown determination and patience so will we,” replied Mr Robinson.
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Robinson → maintain → determination
“I can look at you all in the eye today and say we are being plunged into difficult territory because of the actions of people who are expected to be lawmakers in our country breaking the law.
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who → look → law
“The fundamental principle of upholding the rule of law in this society are sacrosanct and cannot be tarnished.”
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principle → uphold → society
Earlier, Sinn Féin vice-president Ms O’Neill told reporters on the Garvaghy Road that the reignition of the Drumcree dispute “brings into question how this whole peace process works”.
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process → tell → question
Party president Mary Lou McDonald called on Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris to intervene to ban the parade.
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McDonald → call → parade
She said the people of the Garvaghy Road would “not be drawn back to the past”.
“
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people → say → past
The Secretary of State needs to intervene.
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Secretary → need → State
The chief constable of the PSNI needs to intervene and put a stop to this,” she said.
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she → need → this
Sir Chris has the power to ban the parade if Northern Ireland’s police chief requests such a step citing concerns over the potential for public disorder.
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chief → have → disorder
The Northern Ireland Secretary flew into Northern Ireland on Sunday from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool to have discussions with political leaders.
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Secretary → fly → leaders
Speaking to reporters in Belfast, Sir Chris said “nobody wants to go back 28 years”.
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nobody → speak → Belfast
“The whole idea of us coming here is to be able to try and be able to talk specifically face to face to some of the political leaders and some of the community leaders to see if we can get to a settled position,” he said.
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he → come → position
“The truth is everybody has to double down on compromise – that’s what life’s all about – double down on compromise.”
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life → have → compromise
Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable Jon Boutcher called for people come together to try to get past their issues.
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people → call → issues
He said the police operation thus far had involved evidence-gathering of “whatever has been happening from whatever party”.
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whatever → say → party
“I am hoping we will bring all of today’s events to a sensible and peaceful conclusion,” he said.
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he → hop → conclusion
On what a successful conclusion may look like, he added: “There has got to be a longer-term conversation which involves politicians and the people involved in what we have seen in the last 24 hours, trying to find a space that they can resolve these issues.”
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they → look → issues
There had been many “sensible voices” calling for calm which he thought had been “listened to by all parties”.
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he → call → parties
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appealed for “calm on all sides”, saying there have been “big gains made in Northern Ireland, and we don’t want to see things go backwards”.
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things → appeal → Ireland
Taoiseach Micheál Martin also urged calm as he expressed concern about the situation.
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he → urge → situation
Mr Martin also described the decision by the Parades Commission to allow a parade to go down the Garvaghy Road for the first time in nearly three decades as “incomprehensible and wrong”.
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parade → describe → decades
The parade was finally given the go ahead at a hearing which concluded at 2.15am on Sunday after opposing legal teams outlined their arguments over the controversial parade.
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teams → give → parade
The final time-limited sitting, which began at 12.20am on Sunday, was heard before Justice Michael Humphreys.
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which → limit → Humphreys
During proceedings he acknowledged the “unusual if not unprecedented circumstances as it is now 1.45am, with a parade scheduled to begin in just over six hours’ time”.
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parade → acknowledge → time
Outlining his decision, Justice Humphreys cited case law that as a public body the courts must respect the commission’s judgment and “their decisions will not be lightly interfered with”.
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decisions → outline → judgment
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
