Derry Stands with Garvaghy Road: Anger and Solidarity Met With Batons in Derry

Derry has been on edge ever since news emerged that the Parades Commission had approved an Orange Order march through the Republican Garvaghy Road in Portadown for the first time in 28 years. The decision, which was met with fury across republican communities, sparked a wave of solidarity protests in Derry, culminating in a rally at Free Derry Corner and the symbolic blocking of the Craigavon Bridge.‌

Solidarity Protest In Derry (originals here)

Sinn Féin Councillor Christopher Jackson called for a mobilisation at Free Derry Wall, describing the Parades Commission decision as "a hugely retrograde step which risks undoing much of the progress made on parades over the past 28 years". On Friday evening, hundreds gathered at the site, addressed by Foyle MP Colum Eastwood, Sinn Féin MLA Ciara Ferguson, and councillors Shaun Harkin and Christopher Jackson. Eastwood condemned the decision, stating: "The tradition of Orangeism has been about walking past our houses to remind us who is in charge. Well the days of domination and triumphalism are over and they're not coming back".‌

Protestors Showing Their Support On The Bridge

On Sunday, dozens of protesters blocked the Carlisle Circus end of Craigavon Bridge, unfurling banners that read "end sectarian parades" and "Derry supports Garvaghy Road". The bridge was closed for a time as demonstrators expressed their solidarity. Charles Lamberton of the Bogside Residents' Association said: "Let me say clearly that the Bogside and Derry stands firmly with the residents of Garvaghy Road. We stand with the community that has had 28 years of peace".‌

The PSNI's response on the Garvaghy Road itself was a significant security operation, with riot squad officers lining up behind Land Rovers while a team of negotiators attempted to engage with protest leaders. The heavy police presence, viewed by many nationalists as a return to the heavy-handed tactics of the RUC, heightened tensions. The scene on the Garvaghy Road was described as one of "nerves wrecked" and "anxiety levels at a 30-year high".

The decision to green-light the march has reopened one of the most toxic wounds of the Troubles. As Colum Eastwood warned earlier this month, reopening the Drumcree dispute risks jeopardising the progress made elsewhere, including in Derry, where hard work over many years has allowed for a sense of peace. The events of this weekend serve as a reminder that the past is never far away in the North of Ireland, and that the fragile peace built over three decades can be threatened by decisions that dismiss the fears and rights of a community that has known all too much pain, murder and conflict.‌ 

The actions of the PSNI in protecting those who want to impose their will and mask displays of dominance and supremacy under the guise of tradition, while threatening the communities it is being imposed upon needs to be looked at seriously. Their role in enforcing what is essentially a centuries long hate march needs to be questioned as it has no place in any modern society. It never had a place, it always relied upon state violence to manufacture a place and there is no difference between an Orange March and an EDL rally except for seniority. 

We cannot go on pretending both sides are equivalent when one has the backing of the statelet to antagonise and impose its will upon the other, when the other is met with riot squads and armoured vehicles when they say no - we demand peace and respect. The Orange Order and Loyalism more broadly fulfill a necessary function for the northern statelet, as shock troops to keep the sectarian faultlines upon which partition depends alive. If the march is forced down the Garvaghy road, the danger of the dissolution of the Good Friday Agreement will grow, raising the spectre of a return to violent struggle in the north.

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