Protesters block Northern Ireland march being held for first time since Good Friday Agreement
Updated on: September 27, 2026 / 3:45 PM EDT / CBS/AP
TL;DR
- Thousands of protesters, some wearing balaclavas, blocked a parade in Portadown, Northern Ireland.
- The High Court in Belfast had authorized the parade, which was set to go down Garvaghy Road for the first time in almost 30 years.
- Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O'Neill were among the protesters.
- Loyalist and Orange Order supporters formed a barricade to prevent the parade's advance.
- Gavin Robinson of the Democratic Unionist Party accused O'Neill and Sinn Féin of breaking the law.
- The Garvaghy Road has been a notorious flashpoint since the Troubles, which largely ended with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
- The Orange Order parade celebrates Northern Ireland's Protestant heritage and links with the UK.
- The Police Service of Northern Ireland urged calm and expressed hope for a peaceful resolution.