The Five Demands

Si è svolta senza incidenti la parata orangista di Drumcree a Portadown.Dal 1998 gli orangisti sono banditi dalla nazionalista Garvaghy Road.
300 orangisti, dopo la cerimonia nella chiesa di Dumcree, hanno sfilato insieme a due bande fino alla cancello della stazione di polizia in fondo alla collina.
Rena Shepherd, presidente della Commission Parade, ha assistito alla parata e ha dichiarato di aver la speranza di poter risolvere la diatriba entro il prossimo anno. Ha attraversato il cordone di polizia in un incontro improvvista con gli orangisti ai quali ha promesso di voler discutere con loro della questione.
Il Primo Ministro Peter Robinson in precedenza aveva incontrato sia il gruppo dei residenti di Garvaghy Road, sia il Portadown District Lodge cercando di convincerli ad attuare progressi che possano portare alla risoluzione della questione.
Prima del 1998, ogni tentativo di bannare la parata orangista da Garvaghy Road è sfociato in disordini lealisti sia a Portadown che nel resto dell’Irlanda del Nord.

Annual Drumcree Orange march held (BBC News Northern Ireland)
The annual Orange Order parade at Drumcree in Portadown has passed without incident. Orangemen have been banned since 1998 from going down the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown after their annual march from Drumcree church. After a service at Drumcree Church, about 300 Orangemen and two bands walked to a police gate at the bottom of the hill. Incoming Parades Commission chairwoman Rena Shepherd watched the march. Ms Shepherd, who replaces Roger Poole later this month, said she hoped to resolve the dispute by next year. She crossed the police line for an impromptu meeting with the Orangemen and promised to discuss the situation with them. “ We are confident that among the stakeholders from all sides there’s a willingness to engage and hopefully we can build on that ” Rena Shepherd Parades Commission Police chief inspector Jason Murphy said it was welcome that the parade had passed without incident. “That reflects the responsibility shown by the parade organisers and marchers,” he said. He added: “I look forward to a time and circumstances when even this type of scaled-down policing operation is no longer necessary.” First Minister Peter Robinson is due to hold talks with the Garvaghy Road Residents Group and the Portadown District Lodge this week. Mr Robinson said on Friday he had invited both groups to separate meetings aimed at “enabling progress to be made, leading to a resolution of this matter”. Ms Shepherd said they “welcomed assistance from any source”. We are confident that among the stakeholders from all sides there’s a willingness to engage and hopefully we can build on that,” she said. Before 1998, attempts to ban the parade from going down the road resulted in loyalist rioting both in Portadown and across Northern Ireland. However, when the 1998 march was forced through the Garvaghy Road it sparked republican rioting.