Overview
- A Parades Commission decision to allow a tightly limited procession of 35 Orange Order members was physically blocked by large unnotified resident protests, which on Sunday September 27 prevented the march from entering Garvaghy Road.
- PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher told the Policing Board on Thursday that the five-day operation has cost about £3 million and that officers have kept the situation non-violent with no reported injuries.
- Police said they judged that forcing the parade through would have required a level of force that risked serious harm and wider disorder, so they did not clear the blockade.
- A dedicated criminal inquiry is under way, the PSNI has spoken to the Public Prosecution Service about possible offences, and prosecutions are being considered where evidence supports them.
- Talks brokered by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant continue to try to resolve the impasse while the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition prepares a fresh legal challenge and the Policing Board investigates an alleged conduct breach by a Sinn Féin board member.