High court quashes Drumcree parade ban and raises fears of fresh sectarian clashes next July

Belfast's High Court has ruled the Parades Commission acted unlawfully in banning the Orange Order from marching down Garvaghy Road, overturning a restriction imposed every year since 1998. The ruling reignites one of Northern Ireland's most combustible disputes, with politicians sharply divided over what it means for next summer's marching season. One commissioner, Billy Gamble, has already resigned in the wake of the judgment. Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant is now considering a letter from the Parades Commission aimed at reassuring him its decision-making processes are fair.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson welcomed the ruling as long overdue justice for the Parades Commission, which adjudicates on contentious marches.

Drumcree's confrontations came closest to derailing the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, when police installed trenches and ran barbed wire along the lines to prevent Orangemen from advancing.