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Gerry Carroll speaking at a rally on Garvaghy Road on 3 October. Alamy Stock Photo
Garvaghy Road
People Before Profit MLA invited to PSNI interview over Garvaghy Road protest
Gerry Carroll said he will be seeking the advice of his solicitor over the letter, adding: “Standing up for what’s right is never wrong.”
LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago
A PEOPLE BEFORE Profit MLA has confirmed he has been contacted by police investigating alleged criminal offences in the ongoing Drumcree parade dispute.
Gerry Carroll, who is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, said he has been invited to attend a voluntary interview under caution in connection with protests on Garvaghy Road in Portadown, Co Armagh.
It comes after the PSNI earlier announced it would begin sending letters to people suspected of committing criminal offences at the protest on Garvaghy Road.
The loyalist march was due to pass through the largely nationalist area on Sunday 27 September, after receiving permission from the Parades Commission.
The march has been blocked by local residents who say its goal is to intimidate them and dredge up memories of the Troubles.
Lawyers for the residents have sought to appeal the decision to let the march go ahead down the Garvaghy Road. It has been passing along a different route for decades.
The protest blocking the road is ongoing.
In a statement, Carroll said he will be seeking the advice of his solicitor.
“I make no apology for standing with the residents of the Garvaghy Road,” he said.
I make no apology for standing with Garvaghy Road residents. Peaceful civil disobedience isn't criminality. I'm now seeking legal advice. Standing up for what's right is never wrong. https://t.co/kxMlZlPfa5
— Gerry Carroll (@GerryCarrollPBP) October 8, 2026
“For almost three decades, this community has said no to a sectarian march being forced past their homes. When ordinary people peacefully stand together to defend their community, that is not criminality.
“It is the same civil disobedience that won every gain working-class people have ever made, from the suffragettes to the civil rights movement to the right to strike.”
A number of high-profile politicians, including Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald, have also attended the demonstration, which the PSNI has said is unlawful.
Other notable participants are musicians such as the rap trio Kneecap and members of the band The Mary Wallopers.
Unionists have criticised O’Neill and other Sinn Féin ministers for having been in the area of the Garvaghy Road during the now 12-day stand-off.
They have proposed no-confidence motions in O’Neill, as well as Northern Ireland’s finance minister John O’Dowd, economy minister Caoimhe Archibald and infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins in the Assembly.
Speaking in the Assembly on Monday, O’Neill told MLAs: “When the law is wrong, I will stand firmly against it.
“It is morally wrong what’s happening to the people on the Garvaghy Road.”
The PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher announced that a criminal investigation had been launched into the protests on 30 September.
In a statement released today, the PSNI said it was moving to the next phase of that investigation after gathering evidence.
Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said the “large-scale investigation” is being led by an experienced senior investigating officer.
“This team have been methodically working through the evidence collected by police so far during the operation, building this material into evidential packages in respect of identified persons reasonably suspected of committing offences,” he said.
“This work will now proceed to the next phase where individuals will receive letters regarding the interview process.”
He said he was “satisfied that this step does not have an impact on the ongoing judicial review, which I respect”.
Today, a Sinn Féin spokesperson said: “We are aware of the PSNI’s latest statement.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be making any further comment at this time.”
Over the weekend, Mary Lou McDonald said there was “no question” about Sinn Féin cooperating with the investigation.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson welcomed the announcement by police and said they “must act without fear or favour”.
“A political title is not a shield and no-one is above the law,” he said.
“For anyone found to have broken the law, the consequences must be the same, whether that is for a First Minister or anyone else.”
Britain’s Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Bryant, has the power to call off the parade if he received a request from the police, but the chief constable has said he does not think it is necessary.
With reporting from Jane Moore
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