Orange Order march through Portadown amid court battle
Thousands of Orange Order members marched through Portadown, Northern Ireland, amid an ongoing legal dispute regarding a separate parade route. The march avoided the contentious Garvaghy Road, which has been a flashpoint for sectarian tension since the 1990s.
Why it matters
The event highlights the persistent sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland and the delicate balance between civil rights and public order.
Several thousand Protestant Orange Order members marched through Portadown in Co Armagh ahead of a ruling on a legal challenge to the government's ban on a separate parade.
The marchers, who included more than two dozen bands, walked through the town centre as supporters lined the streets.
They stayed clear of the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road at the centre of the court dispute following a standoff.
A High Court ruling is expected in Belfast next week after a two-day challenge brought by members of the Orange Order wrapped up Tuesday.
They are contesting Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant's decision to stop their earlier march from passing along Garvaghy Road after police warned of possible disorder.
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