An Orange Order parade in Portadown has been allowed to proceed along Garvaghy Road for the first time in nearly 30 years, following a late-night court ruling. Thousands of nationalist protesters gathered to oppose it, while police imposed checkpoints and deployed armoured vehicles amid fears of disorder. The decision has revived tensions surrounding one of Northern Ireland’s most contentious parade routes.

The High Court upheld the Parades Commission’s permission, ruling that it had properly considered the evidence and that the courts could not replace its judgement. The hearing ended at 2.15am, just hours before the scheduled 8am start, in circumstances described as unprecedented. Sinn Féin leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill joined protesters, while the dispute remains linked to violent clashes at Drumcree during the Troubles and decades of unsuccessful applications by the Orange Order.