Court ruling clears restricted Orange Order march

A court ruling cleared a restricted Orange Order procession along Garvaghy Road in Portadown on Sunday, prompting thousands of opponents to gather and block the route as Prime Minister Andy Burnham appealed for calm. The reports did not establish whether the march ultimately set off or completed its route. The Parades Commission had authorized 35 Orangemen to walk silently along the road from 8 a.m., without bands or supporters. The Court of Appeal overturned an injunction that had temporarily blocked the procession, leaving it free to proceed while the substantive legal challenge returned to the High Court. The ruling followed a late-night hearing in Belfast. Thousands gathered in the area to oppose the march. One account put the crowd at about 2,000, while other reports described thousands without a precise estimate. Police held the Orange Order rally inside a church hall as the counter-protest assembled, according to one report. The supplied accounts describe the road as blocked and the procession as delayed, but do not confirm what happened after the scheduled start time.