Stand off in Portadown

x65943 · Tuesday at 4:25 AM

The parades commission of Northern Ireland approved a contentious permit for protestant Orangemen to march through a Catholic neighborhood for the first time in 28 years.

Parades were stopped in this area after prior marches resulted in bloodshed including the murder of 3 young children by protestant arsonists.

Hundreds of protesters have now blocked the road for 2 days preventing the parade. Former IRA army council member Gerry Adams was present, as well as first minister Michelle O'neil. The orangemen have been confined to their lodge for the time being.

There is serious concern for violence if the march peoceeds, and the actions of parties on both sides is likely to take down the Northern Irish executive and lead to direct rule from London.

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/br...ange-order-march-northern-ireland-2026-09-28/

emigre · Tuesday at 9:25 AM

Obligatory not Irish, northern or eire but did study the Troubles at A level and degree.

I'm a big proponent of stopping the orange marches in Catholic areas. It just serves to provoke people and a representation of the long standing subjugation of the Catholic populace by the Protestants. If anyone is interested, go read about the historical gerrymandering in Northern Ireland elections.

Speaking as someone who grew up on the mainland, there's so many things about Loyalist culture which honestly sounds strange. There's stuff like this Scotland as well. To put this into context, I travel to Glasgow semi regularly for work, I'm South Asian Muslim with immigrant parents and I travel with my white British colleague and we both find sectarianism and loyalist culture to be pretty fucking weird. We talk a lot about football but cannae do that Inthe Glasgow office.

x65943 · 2026-10-03T17:38:17+0100

Those 35 Orangemen aren't getting through

Taleweaver · 2026-10-04T07:10:23+0100

Yeah... That 'woah' - smiley, indeed. I don't want to diminish @emigre 's feelings, but had the sentiment that this had been a conflict of the past. From here (and from an agnostic/atheist viewpoint), catholic vs protestant is like two identical twins fighting over supremacy based on abstract symbology.
HOWEVER... That idea that I have there (and is - i know - is flat out wrong) doesn't mean that for the people and location involved, it clearly is NOT a moot point. It is clearly not forgiven or forgotten.

With the risk of sounding one sided... That parades commission hopefully learns their lesson and beans future marches.

emigre · 2026-10-04T10:45:27+0100

Taleweaver said:
Yeah... That 'woah' - smiley, indeed. I don't want to diminish @emigre 's feelings, but had the sentiment that this had been a conflict of the past. From here (and from an agnostic/atheist viewpoint), catholic vs protestant is like two identical twins fighting over supremacy based on abstract symbology.
HOWEVER... That idea that I have there (and is - i know - is flat out wrong) doesn't mean that for the people and location involved, it clearly is NOT a moot point. It is clearly not forgiven or forgotten.

With the risk of sounding one sided... That parades commission hopefully learns their lesson and beans future marches.

It is important to remember that the executive in Northern Ireland is based on Power Sharing to gets the Unionists and Nationalists to work together and prevent one having political domination (see the old NI Parliament) and there have been multiple times when the executive has broken down in the 25 years or so with London having to govern. Not helped since the GFA, the dominant Unionists and Nationalists have shifted from the UUP to the DUP, the latter refused to be part of the GFA discussions and the SDLP to Seinn Feinn.

For those who aren't aware, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister who of equal senoirity and much of the GFA originates from the Sunningdale Agrreement in 1973. There's a great quote about the GFA being Sunningdale for slow learners by Seamus Mallon.

Whilst there is a religious connotation, it is also a nationalism element which is bigger than the religious element, with one wanting to be part of the UK and the other to joining Eire. Within the historical context of Northern Ireland, it isn't so much Catholics v Protestant battling for supremacy, it is very much Protestants dominating and discriminating against the Catholics. I would suggest reading up about the Civil Rights movement in Northern Ireland, the discrimination against Catholics when it came to housing and work.

Stand off in Portadown

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