Orange Order march to go ahead for first time in nearly 30 years after late night drama
On Friday, the Parades Commission said the march could go ahead along Garvaghy Road.
Rather than start at 13:00 on Sunday as intended, the commission said it could begin no later than 08:00 and with 35 participants rather than the 60 the Orange Order requested.
But an initial legal challenge from the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition (GRRC) at the High Court saw a judge issue an injunction banning the parade, with Judge Patricia Smyth saying the “long-running dispute has the potential to escalate within Northern Ireland”.
This was later successfully challenged by an Orange Order member at the Court of Appeal.
Late on Saturday evening, the GRRC was given permission to challenge that decision at the High Court – an appeal which was dismissed by Justice Humphreys.
In a hearing concluding at 02:15 BST on Sunday morning, Justice Humphreys acknowledged the “unusual if not unprecedented circumstances… with a parade due to begin in just over six hours’ time”.
Delivering his judgement, he said: “This court cannot substitute its own view or anyone else’s view for that of the commission.”
Northern Ireland’s most senior judge, Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan, similarly described the situation as “unprecedented”.
