Drumcree had become the "touchstone, the litmus test, the line in the sand" for the issue of contentious parades in Northern Ireland, the chairman of the Parades Commission said in Belfast yesterday. Mr Alistair Graham was outlining the reasons for imposing conditions on the march.
"We had really hoped, as we stood on the Garvaghy Road on July 6th last year, that we would not be facing you here today.
"And I know the vast majority of the people of Northern Ireland held the same hope.
"That hope has been reinforced by the events of 1998 with powerful messages from the referendum and the Assembly elections, that the people of Northern Ireland want a future free from sectarian conflict.
"We are here because of failure. Every time the Commission has to impose conditions on a parade it reflects failure: the failure of people to find a way to move forward from the entrenched positions which have led to past conflict and confrontation. So it is today.
"The Drumcree/Garvaghy Road situation is, of course, different to every other location of contentious parades in Northern Ireland. Your presence here and the intense interest from around the world are evidence of that. So there is a heavy burden of responsibility.
"In announcing our legal determination on the Drumcree church parade today, six days prior to the parade, we believe that there is a considerable burden of responsibility falling on others in the run-up to July 5th:
"On the obvious parties, the organisers of the parade and on those who object to it, to behave responsibly and, above all, lawfully;
"On the church and community leaders who have influence, to use that influence;
"On elected representatives to provide leadership;
"On parents and those in authority to exercise that authority;
"And on you, the media, to weigh your words and advice with care.
"Drumcree has become, to use all the cliches, the touchstone, the litmus test, the line in the sand, the landmark event in the whole parading issue in Northern Ireland. And yet we all know that this one is not simply about the parade itself, is not just about getting Orange feet on, or keeping them off, the Garvaghy Road."
He continued: "The Orange Order, in seeking to pursue their right of free assembly, including the right to parade, have not faced up to their responsibility to engage with the community who will be affected by their parade.
"Meanwhile, the residents, in opposing a parade through their community, have not recognised the importance of the issue of free assembly and have not been sufficiently creative in encouraging a process of engagement. They have also allowed the widespread perception that they were in many cases pursuing a wider political agenda to go unchallenged."
He continued: "The Orangemen feel strongly that their traditional parades are being eroded and frustrated, year by year. In their view, the actions of successive British and Irish governments are fuelling political forces which are edging them inch by inch towards a united Ireland.
"Portadown is the birthplace of Orangeism, and the Portadown District is its firstborn. The town, and the parade to and from Drumcree church, symbolise the natural ground on which they make their stand.
"In their view, protest has been orchestrated by republicans, led by Sinn Fein, as part of a strategy by which, if the Order concedes the march and the associated territory of the Garvaghy Road, the battleground will only move subsequently to any new route until marches and the territory that goes with them will be suppressed altogether.
"Nationalists, on the other hand, see the marches as triumphalist displays of Protestant supremacy over the territory. They express their strong conviction of their position as second-class citizens in an unequal society, and view the marches as an endorsement of that position. The old slogan, `Croppies lie down', is to them alive and well in Portadown.
"It is not the duration or the conduct of the parade which provokes them, but the fact of it taking place, with force if necessary, along what they now regard as their territory, without any deference to or recognition of them, their community, or their cultural differences.
"In arriving at our determination, which I shall read to you in full, we have had to take into account the statutory guidelines or criteria as required by the law," Mr Graham said. "We assessed the potential of the parade, as notified by the organisers, against the factors of:
"Public Order or damage to property; "Disruption to the life of the community; "Impact on relationships within the community; "Compliance with the code of conduct; and "Traditionality - shorthand for the desirability of allowing a parade which has customarily been held on that route to be continued to be allowed to do so."
He added: "We have, in reaching our final legal view, focused on what we describe in our guidelines as the `broader context', and I'll read the relevant paragraph:
" `When there has been a year-on-year history of conflict surrounding the parade, the commission will take into account the demonstrable impact of decisions taken regarding that parade in previous years, not only on the immediate community, but on the wider Northern Ireland community'."
He continued: "Given the absence of any positive move towards accommodation, we cannot see at this stage how a parade could proceed again this year down the Garvaghy Road without having a serious adverse impact on community relationships, both locally and more widely across Northern Ireland."
Mr Graham then read out the commission's Determination:
"The commission's determination is that the proposed 5 July Portadown District Loyal Orange Lodge No 1 parade is prohibited from entering that part of the notified parade route between the junction of High Street and Woodhouse Street, and the junction of Obins Street and Charles Street, or any part of that route.
"The parade shall process from its point of departure at Carleton Street into Church Street, Market Street, and High Street to the junction of Castle Street, turning back along High Street, Market Street, West Street and into Charles Street. It shall then process along Charles Street to the Dungannon Road-Moy Road roundabout, along the Dungannon Road to Rector's Turn, Drumcree Road to Drumcree Church.
"The parade is also prohibited from proceeding beyond Drumcree Parish Church, Drumcree Road, or entering that part of the notified route which includes the entire length of Garvaghy Road, including Parkmount and Victoria Terrace.
"In addition, the following conditions are imposed on the proposed Portadown District LOL No 1 parade on July 5 1998:
"a. When the procession is in progress there are no undue stoppages or delays.
"b. The organiser shall arrange for the presence of an adequate number of stewards to ensure that all parade participants act in an orderly manner.
"c. The organiser shall ensure that only the four notified bands, namely Edgarstown Accordion Band, Pride of the Birches band, Star of David Accordion Band and Mavemacullen Accordion Band shall accompany the procession.
"d. The organisers shall ensure that the procession returns from Drumcree Parish Church following the outward route in compliance with the conditions outlined above, or disperses after the church service at Drumcree Parish Church.
"e. The organiser shall ensure that these conditions are brought to the attention of all participants at the assembly point.
"f. The organiser shall ensure that all directions by police in relation to the parade are promptly obeyed."
He concluded: "If this decision is met with regret, with understanding on all sides, and with a sense of it being a basis for progress, then everyone can ultimately win. It is up to those most closely involved, and to all who can bring influence to bear on them, not least yourselves the media, to encourage moderation and responsible behaviour at this very sensitive time."