O’Neill and McDonald to be questioned by police over Garvaghy Road protest
Michelle O’Neill told MLAs ‘you’re not my judge and you’re not my jury’ as the fallout from the dispute was raised repeatedly at Stormont.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald are to be interviewed by police in relation to their attendance at a counter-demonstration to the Drumcree Orange Order march.
Both women announced on social media on Monday afternoon that they will attend interviews with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) this week.
A number of Sinn Féin representatives also including executive ministers and MLAs were pictured on the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road over the course of a nearly two-week stand-off.
Stormont Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald, West Belfast MP Paul Maskey, Donegal TD Pearse Doherty, North Belfast MLA Caral Ni Chuilin, South Belfast MLA Deirdre Hargey, Senator Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin councillor Catherine Nelson and People Before Profit councillor Michael Collins also confirmed on Monday they had received letters inviting them to attend an interview.
Previously, SDLP MLA Justin McNulty also confirmed he had received a letter from police while last week People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll attended an interview with police around the protests.
Ms O’Neill told MLAs “you’re not my judge and you’re not my jury” as the fallout from the dispute was raised repeatedly during Assembly questions on Monday.
In late September the Parades Commission granted the Orange Order permission to march down the Garvaghy Road for the first time for nearly 30 years, but the march was unable to go ahead as thousands of protesters blocked the road.
The Portadown district of the Orange Order and residents of the Garvaghy Road had a number of meetings with Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant but were unable to reach agreement.
Sir Chris then stepped in to overturn the commission’s decision after police said they were unable to facilitate the march going ahead.
In a post on the social media network X, Ms McDonald said she will be interviewed by the PSNI this week “in relation to the peaceful protest on the Garvaghy Road”.
“I stood with the Garvaghy Road residents to protect 28 years of peace and progress, and it was the right thing to do,” she added.
“From right across Ireland and the world, people stood and spoke with one voice to say clearly that they would not be dragged back to the past.
“The Garvaghy Road community has the right to free from sectarian intimidation and harassment. There is no going back. Not now. Not ever.”
Ms O’Neill said in her post: “I will be interviewed by the PSNI later this week in relation to the peaceful protest in solidarity with Garvaghy Road residents.
“Alongside many others, I was proud to stand with the Garvaghy Road community to protect 28 years of peace and progress.”
She went on: “I will always stand up for what is right. We have come too far to allow our society to be dragged backwards to the days of domination and supremacy.
“Everyone must be allowed to live their lives free from sectarian intimidation and harassment. There is no going back – not now, not ever.”
Ms O’Neill and three other Sinn Féin ministers faced, ultimately unsuccessful, motions of no confidence from unionist parties, who contest they broke their pledge of office by attending demonstrations on the Garvaghy Road.
DUP MLA Gareth Wilson said in the last 10 years 73 people have been convicted of obstructing a public road, with four receiving custodial sentences, four a community sentence and 52 a monetary penalty, before asking Ms O’Neill which she and her colleagues “deserve if the course of law is followed”.
Ms O’Neill replied: “The hypocrisy hanging out of the DUP is incredible. Hypocrisy all day long.
“I have said that I own my decision to stand with the Garvaghy Road residents, and I am proud to have done so, and I will continue to do so.
“I will deal with whatever processes come my way, but you are not my judge, and you’re not my jury. You do not get to adjudicate.
“I will deal with the processes in my time and in my way. So, I’m sorry, but you’re not going to get the answer from me that you want.”
Alliance MLA Andrew McMurray said he had been contacted by a school student whose “number one concern” was community tensions arising from the Drumcree row, as he asked what the first minister was doing to improve community relations.
Ms O’Neill said the peace of the last 28 years is “secure” but the region must keep “building for progress”.
“Despite the moments like this, huge setbacks in terms of community relations, we have to work even harder to try to build on those community relations and I’ll work with any willing partner on which to do so,” she said.
“As a matter of fact, I do think there is going to be a lot of healing and necessary attention given to the wider Portadown area because I think we do need to do everything we can to build community relations again.
“But it’s for those people, and I say to the student, the people in the Garvaghy Road didn’t want this. I didn’t want this. You didn’t want this.
“It’s for those people in political unionism that decided to bring us back 28 years, to bring us back into one of the most horrible and traumatic times of the late ’90s.
“I ask the question of them, why? Why do they want to do that? I still don’t understand the answer, why do people want to bring us back?”