Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said “This is an utterly reckless decision from the Parades Commission. The disregard for the community on the Garvaghy Road is shocking. They have the right to live free from sectarian harassment. We stand in solidarity with them.”
Ms. McDonald said, “This is a reckless decision from the Parades Commission. The disregard for the
community on the Garvaghy Road is shocking and is impossible to understand.
“All sense of responsibility has gone out the window and this represents a fundamental assault on the Good Friday Agreement.
“The community on the Garvaghy Road has the right to live free from sectarian harassment and hatred.
“They have to right to live and raise their families in peace, as they have done for the last twenty eight years. There is no going back. The forces of the past cannot undermine the progress which was so hard won or stop progress for the future.
“The residents of the Garvaghy Road oppose this reckless decision and Sinn Féin stands in solidarity with them.
“We have spoken to the Chief Constable and made plain the serious implications of this decision for communities across the north.
“We have spoken with the British Secretary of State and with the Taoiseach and Tanáiste. The Irish government must stand in support of the Garvaghy residents and their obligation under the Good Friday Agreement to ensure this community can live free from sectarian harassment.
“There is a court process this evening. But of course the British Secretary of State has the power to revoke this determination. That is what he must do if necessary.”
