Orange Order parade proceeds in Portadown after court ruling and protest dispersal

Hundreds of protesters blocked an Orange Order parade in Portadown, Northern Ireland, on Sunday morning. The protesters gathered on the Garvaghy Road and linked arms to stop the march. A High Court ruling in the early hours of Sunday said the parade had to go ahead. The march had not passed through this mainly nationalist area for nearly 30 years. Police brought dozens of armoured vehicles to the area and set up checkpoints on main roads. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O'Neill were among those on the road. Orange Order members waited at Drumcree Church, about one mile away. After the court ruling, the protesters eventually left the road and cleared the route.