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First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill at a protest where over two thousand people have gathered near Drumcree and blocked the Garvaghy Road in protest over a Orange Order Parade on Sunday morning. Alamy Stock Photo
Garvaghy Road
'Days of unionist supremacy are gone': O'Neill defends standing with protesters in Stormont row
Stormont power-sharing could be under threat as the DUP has repeatedly accused O’Neill of breaking the law by remaining on Garvaghy Road.
FIRST MINISTER OF Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill has told the Northern Ireland Assembly that she was “incredibly proud and privileged” to stand with the Garvaghy Road residents over the weekend, after opposition parties accused her of breaking the law.
Stormont power-sharing could be under threat as the DUP has repeatedly accused O’Neill of breaking the law by remaining on Garvaghy Road, while Northern Ireland deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly accused O’Neill of a “total abdication of leadership”.
Residents of Garvaghy Road in Portadown are holding talks with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant and the PSNI chief constable after stand-offs on Sunday saw protesters block the road to stop a contentious Orange Order parade from going ahead.
A delegation from the Orange Order met with Bryant earlier before returning to Drumcree Church, where they said they still intend to march from.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said he will refer MLAs and elected representatives who were at the Garvaghy Road protest in Portadown to the Standards Commissioners. However, he stopped short of saying that the DUP will collapse the Northern Ireland institutions – something the TUV called for earlier.
Mediation has been urged to prevent Stormont from collapsing.
Alliance Party MLA Eóin Tennyson called for the dispute to get “off the streets and into mediation” for the sake of institutional stability, while SDLP leader Claire Hanna has said she made it “very clear” to Bryant that “this to be de-escalated”.
Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long made a direct appeal to the Portadown Orangemen “as fellow Christians” to put reconciliation first.
Meanwhile, while addressing the Northern Ireland Assembly this afternoon, Little-Pengelly said: “Michelle O’Neill not only broke the law, but encouraged others to do so.”
“When the people of Northern Ireland needed responsible leadership, Michelle O’Neill decided on populist political stump speeches and breaking the law, defying a lawful decision of the courts and encouraging others to do so,” she said.
But Sinn Féin’s O’Neill has remained defiant, telling the assembly that she was “incredibly proud and privileged” to be with the Garvaghy Road residents over the weekend.
The Sinn Féin vice president said “the days of unionist supremacy and domination are gone”.
“May I invite yourself, and all those within unionism, may I invite you into 2026? The days of unionist supremacy and domination are gone. We will not be going backwards. We are about the future,” she said.
“I’ve heard a lot today about the health service and education, and those things are valid. But so too are the rights of the people of the Garvaghy Road not to be trampled upon. I think it’s right and proper that people stood with the community in Garvaghy over the last couple of days.
“Why do the Orange Order, why do the DUP, why do unionism in general want to railroad over the rights of these people? That is the question. Why do you want to trample over these people? Well, we will not accept that.
“The Garvaghy Road residents do not want that. They are entitled to live their life free from fear and intimidation. I will assert that right for them all day long and every day. And I will come into this chamber, and I will say that to you.”
See The Journal’s live blog for all the latest developments.
With additional reporting from PA and Jane Matthews.
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