Northern Ireland live: Burnham appeals for ‘calm on all sides’ as protesters block Drumcree Orange Order march

Northern Ireland live: Burnham appeals for ‘calm on all sides’ as protesters block Drumcree Orange Order march Late night approval of loyalist march along the largely Catholic Garvaghy Road in Portadown has been described as ‘madness’ - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join todayAlready a member? Log in Thousands of protesters blocked a controversial loyalist Orange Order march from going ahead on a Catholic street in Northern Ireland for the first time in nearly 30 years. A late-night legal ruling by the Parades Commission authorising the parade along Garvaghy Road in Portadown during an "unprecedented" late-night High Court session in Belfast. Large groups of protesters, many wearing balaclavas, gathered along the road on Sunday morning—a location renowned as a major Troubles flashpoint in the 1990s. A standoff continued into the evening with members of the Orange Order still waiting inside Drumcree Church Hall to be given the go-ahead to march, according to the Belfast Telegraph. Prime minister Andy Burnham has appealed for “calm on all sides”. He said: “I know it’s a tense situation. We do appeal for calm on all sides. There have been big gains made in Northern Ireland, and we don’t want to see things go backwards. “So, obviously, a challenging situation today, but it’s very important that we work to bring calm.” The stand-off at Drumcree made headlines in the 1990s, with nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road opposed to the parade passing through the area, leading to violent clashes for several summers and political tension necessitating a major security operation. 'Stay the course', Northern Ireland's First Minister tells protesters Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and other senior party figures are among those stopping the Orangemen by blocking the road. On Sunday evening, Ms O’Neill encouraged protesters to the “stay the course” as she urged them to remain on the road until at least midnight. Stand-off continues into the evening 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. Around 6pm, several Orangemen emerged from the church hall and walked down the hill where they were met by 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. A crowd of supporters gathered with the Orangemen. 'Nobody wants to go back to 28 years' - Sir Chris Bryant Maintaining the resilience of the political system in Northern Ireland is of key importance and no one wants to” dismantle” the Good Friday Agreement, according to Sir Chris Bryant. The Northern Ireland secretary told reporters in Belfast: “Nobody wants to go back to 28 years. “I don’t think there is a single person involved in politics in Northern Ireland that really wants to go back 28, 30 years and relitigate everything and dismantle the Good Friday Agreement. “I’m very determined that we will do everything to maintain that but we need to make sure that we have resilience in the political system here.” He added: “I think it’s all the more important that we have a Parades Commission that is fully functioning. Of course, these issues were litigated in court at length yesterday afternoon and through into the night.” Sir Chris said he had the same message for everybody which is to “double down on compromise.” He added: “So maybe we should have tattooed on everybody’s hand, 20% less or 30% less. Everybody calm down. We can get through this. There are decent people of good faith in every side of this argument. Let’s get through it.” In pictures: Armoured police vehicles in Portadown as protest continues Police chief calls for 'sensible and peaceful conclusion' Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Jon Boutcher said he is hoping to bring the events to a "sensible and peaceful conclusion". He added a successful conclusion to the current situation would be that "not one hair on one head gets harmed". The chief added that he wants everybody to find "a place that they can, with dignity, walk away from the current situation." Everyone needs to 'double down on compromise' - NI secretary Northern Ireland secretary Sir Chris Bryant has said everyone needs to “double down on compromise”. He said he has he hoped to speak face to face with political and community leaders to “see if we can get to a settled position”. “The truth is everybody has to double down on compromise – that’s what life’s all about – double down on compromise,” he added. Sir Chris Bryant appeals for calm as he arrives in Belfast Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has appealed for calm. Speaking to reporters in Belfast, he said: “It is absolutely important that everybody cooperates with the police, that everybody takes a moment to maintain a degree of calm, to respect people who have a different opinion from yourselves and to be able to try and achieve some kind of resolution of what is obviously a very difficult situation today.” Sir Chris said he had come from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool “specifically” to have meetings with other political and community leaders “if necessary”. He said: “If there is a way of finding a way through this, we want to be able to put ourselves at the service of others to be able to achieve that.” In pictures: Stand off continues as protesters block Garvaghy Road Nobody wants a return to 'divisions, disorder and violence' - Irish deputy PM The Tánaiste (deputy Irish PM) Simon Harris says he's been following events on the Garvaghy Road closely and appealed for calm. "Nobody wants to see a return to the divisions, disorder and violence associated with this issue in the past. We have come too far to ever go back," he said in a statement. "The progress made in Northern Ireland over recent decades was hard won. "None of us should take that progress for granted, and none of us wants to see the divisions of the past reopened." Micheál Martin says parade decision is 'incomprehensible and wrong' Taoiseach Micheál Martin has appealed for "calm on all sides" of the Drumcree stand-off, but says he finds the "original decision by the Parades Commission incomprehensible and wrong". "For 28 years, we didn't have a parade down the Garvaghy Road and most people anticipated that to remain the same," Mr Martin told Irish broadcaster RTÉ. He said "the gains that have been made over the last 28 years" should be protected, which he described "immeasurable" and said mediation was key. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments