Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty proud after PSNI interview on Garvaghy Road protest

Deputy Pearse Doherty, Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson, said he was “proud to have stood with the Garvaghy Road community” after attending a police interview regarding his participation in a protest that blocked a planned Orange Order parade.

Doherty and fellow TD Matt Carthy were summoned to Musgrave Police Station in Belfast after joining residents on Garvaghy Road in Portadown to prevent the march scheduled for 27 September. The protest followed a Parades Commission decision that would have allowed the Orangemen to march the first time in almost 30 years.

Over 1,000 protestors, including several high‑profile politicians, blocked the route, prompting PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher to warn of “consequences” for any breach of the law. Secretary of State Chris Bryant later intervened, and his decision to ban the march was upheld by Mr Justice Scoffield of the High Court.

At the interview, Doherty reiterated that the action defended “28 years of peace” and affirmed Sinn Féin’s commitment to protecting the progress made in the peace process.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: Volodymyr Veielis / Pexels.