For the 27th consecutive year Orangemen walked to police lines at Drumcree Church in Portadown on Sunday as part of Northern Ireland’s longest-running parades protest.
Portadown Orange District applied to walk down the Garvaghy Road as they have done for the last 27 years – but were prevented from completing its traditional return parade from Drumcree Parish Church.
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart attended the annual Drumcree Sunday commemoration in Portadown.
The long-running dispute continues, Ms Lockhart said, “to represent a flashpoint in the wider debate about cultural expression, community respect, and the role of the Parades Commission in Northern Ireland”.
Ms Lockhart used the occasion to reaffirm her call for urgent reform and accountability in how parading decisions are made and implemented.
Speaking after the event, Carla Lockhart MP said: “Here we stand, we can do no other. Drumcree Sunday 2025 has once again seen the Portadown brethren denied their right to return home from their annual church service at Drumcree Parish Church.
“This sustained prohibition is a blatant and ongoing denial of basic civil and religious liberties. In recent years, we have heard repeated assurances from republican representatives that unionist and loyalist culture is respected but actions such as this continue to prove otherwise. A peaceful, respectful 15-minute church parade on a Sunday morning should offend no one.
“The Orange tradition is one of faith, heritage and dignity. The Portadown District, in particular, has shown extraordinary tenacity and commitment in the face of what can only be described as cultural suppression. For 27 years they have protested weekly, peacefully and resolutely. That is a powerful testament to their determination and sense of principle.
“I was particularly encouraged to see the strong presence of young people at this year’s Drumcree Sunday. It is clear that Orangeism is not only surviving, it is thriving. The next generation is stepping up, carrying forward the values of community, identity and tradition with pride and purpose.
“As Member of Parliament for Upper Bann, I will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the brethren of Portadown. I will also be pressing the Secretary of State to take action not just to scrutinise the decisions of the Parades Commission, but to reform a system that has failed to deliver fairness and balance. The right to religious and cultural expression must not be conditional. It must be upheld as a matter of principle.”
