The Garvaghy Road route had been banned since 1998 when the Good Friday Agreement ended the Troubles; a recent court ruling overturned the Parades Commission decision and permitted a 35‑person march without bands, scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and finish by 9.30 a.m.
On Sunday, roughly 2,000 residents blocked the road, and Sinn FÉIN leaders First Minister Michelle O’Neill and party chief Mary Lou McDonald joined the demonstrators; the Orange Order remained near Drumcree Parish Church, awaiting police clearance.
Police Land Rovers stopped Orangemen from advancing, while stone‑throwing prompted the use of tear gas to control the crowd. Unionist deputy leader Gavin Robinson condemned the protest, calling the politicians “lawmakers acting as lawbreakers”; Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant urged compromise, and Police Chief Jon Boutcher appealed for calm.
The Orange Order is expected to march at 8 a.m. today after police clearance, a move that will test the fragile peace that has held since the Good Friday Agreement.