UK's PM urges 'calm' as thousands seek to thwart flashpoint N.Ireland parade

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for calm on Sunday as thousands of people gathered in Portadown, Northern Ireland, seeking to halt a contentious pro-British Protestant march. The parade, organized by the Orange Order, had been authorized to proceed down Garvaghy Road, a mainly Catholic and nationalist area, for the first time in 28 years. The Parades Commission had given the Orangemen permission to march silently along the road at 8am on Sunday, without bands or supporters.

Tensions escalated after a court cleared the march to go ahead in the early hours of Sunday. Burnham appealed for calm on all sides, stating that significant progress had been made in Northern Ireland and that the community did not want to see things regress. The town, located 25 miles southwest of Belfast, had a history of conflict between predominantly Catholic, pro-Irish republican groups and Protestant, unionist communities during the Troubles.

About 2,000 people participated in a counter-protest in the Garvaghy Road area, with a heavy police presence. The Orange Order's march was met with protests, and the situation was further complicated by a series of legal challenges. Initially blocked by a Belfast High Court judge, the march was later overturned by the Court of Appeal, allowing it to proceed as scheduled.

Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill, representing the Irish republican Sinn Fein party, condemned the legal ruling, emphasizing that there would be no regression in the region. Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, speaking with counter-protesters, stated that the community was defending itself against sectarian harassment.

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 had brought about considerable progress in Northern Ireland, with improved lives for its residents. However, both sides remained firm in their positions, with O'Neill urging a return to calm and McDonald reiterating the community's stance against the parade.