Orange Order Parade Blocked by Protesters in Portadown After High Court Ruling Protesters block Garvaghy Road in Portadown as an Orange Order parade is delayed after a High Court ruling upheld the Parades Commission decision. Leaders appeal for calm. A controversial Orange Order parade in Portadown, Northern Ireland, was delayed on Sunday morning after thousands of protesters blocked Garvaghy Road. The march had been permitted for the first time in nearly 30 years following an unprecedented late-night sitting of the High Court in Belfast, which upheld a ruling by the Parades Commission. The parade was scheduled to begin at 8am, but by 9am it had not started due to the road being blocked. Protesters Block Garvaghy RoadJust minutes before the Protestant parade was due to begin, thousands of protesters gathered in the rain. They linked arms and sang songs in an attempt to block the march. A loudspeaker announcement warned them they were liable for arrest for taking part in an unnotified parade. Many protesters wore balaclavas and clustered in large groups along Garvaghy Road in the hours leading up to the scheduled start.As the morning progressed, the road remained blocked, and members of the Orange Order were asked by police to stay inside Drumcree Church. Armoured vehicles arrived in the area, and police set up checkpoints on the main roads into Portadown. An information sheet handed to drivers stated that people are entitled to disagree with the procession and to make their views known peacefully, but that the procession has been permitted by the Parades Commission and participants also have a right to march peacefully and safely.Political Leaders Appeal for CalmPrime Minister Andy Burnham appealed for calm on all sides, saying there have been big gains made in Northern Ireland and we do not want to see things go backwards. Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O'Neill were among those who joined the protest. O'Neill told reporters there must be no march through this community, adding that this is how calm and confidence are restored. She questioned why, after 28 years of determination to block a march down this road, the Parades Commission thought it was the right idea today. She said the reignition of the Drumcree dispute brings into question how the whole peace process works.O'Neill commended the community and said she stands with them. Some in the crowd blocking the road could be heard shouting bring Stormont down. Asked if she thought Stormont could collapse over the dispute, O'Neill said the progress of the last 28 years has been brought into question by the actions of the Orange Order and those within political unionism who want to drag us backwards. She added that people are asking what the point is when their rights are railroaded over, but she said her focus is on the future, building on peace and progress, and not allowing people to bring us back.McDonald told reporters it was madness that the parade was going ahead and called on Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant to ban it. She said they had spent all night talking to people and listening to them, seeking to reassure them that this can be resolved. She called on the Secretary of State and the chief constable of the PSNI to intervene and put a stop to it. McDonald described the situation as primitive treatment of any community in 2026, saying it is intolerable and will not be tolerated. She said this is a dignified and united community, absolutely determined not to be drawn back into the past.Security and Political ResponseA small group of Orange Order members wearing traditional silk orange sashes and black bowler hats gathered at another part of the town, according to a picture posted on X by Democratic Unionist Party lawmaker Carla Lockhart. Loud cheers erupted from the crowds on Garvaghy Road after being informed the Orange Order had left Drumcree. The cheers were soon followed by chants of bring Stormont down from some protesters. Sir Chris Bryant said he is to leave Labour's Party conference early and return to Belfast this afternoon. He urged people to cooperate with the police and warned any protest was unlawful.