Garvaghy Road in Portadown became a flashpoint of sectarian violence once again when youths from the Protestant Orange Order marched into a Catholic neighborhood May 29. Police attempting to keep the groups separated were hit by bricks from both sides but succeeded in keeping injuries to a minimum. Garvaghy Road has been the site of violence each of the last three years during the Protestant marching season, which is just beginning. Parades are scheduled to begin in early July and unrest is likely, despite efforts to reroute the marches away from Catholic areas. The stalled Northern Ireland peace settlement is approaching an “absolute” deadline of June 30 for the devolution of power from Britain to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The roadblock to a full convening of the government is disagreement over IRA disarming. Failure to come to agreement could create serious tensions, and combined with the heating up of marching season, could lead to unrest this summer.
