O’Neill to attend police interview over Garvaghy Road protest

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill said she will attend a Police Service of Northern Ireland interview later this week about her presence at a protest against the Drumcree Orange Order parade. The announcement came as the High Court in Belfast began hearing the Orange Order’s challenge to the decision to halt the parade. O’Neill said she would be interviewed in relation to attending a September 27 protest on Garvaghy Road. Police have invited a number of political representatives for voluntary interviews as part of an investigation into potential breaches of a Parades Commission ruling that had allowed the parade to proceed along the route. The parade, planned by Portadown Orange Lodge, was ultimately unable to take place after protesters gathered on the road. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant halted it on October 9, following an almost two-week standoff. The Orange Order is seeking judicial review of Bryant’s decision and is also challenging Chief Constable Jon Boutcher’s request that the secretary review the Parades Commission determination. At the hearing, a barrister representing an Orange Order member quoted a police intelligence assessment provided to...