Congressman Neal says Garvaghy Road march 'provocative'

US Representative Richard Neal has described the planned Orange Order march along the Garvaghy Road in Portadown as "provocative".

In an interview with RTÉ News, Rep Neal said he is urging the Northern Ireland Secretary to cancel the parade.

"It is needlessly provocative at a time when we thought many of these issues had been put to bed, including the 28-year interval in which this had not been a flashpoint, and this is a moment of contention for the nationalist community" the Democratic Congressman for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district said.

"In years past, many years past, it had been a symbol of triumphalism. And I thought that the success that we had have with the Good Friday Agreement would have again put many of these issues to rest," he said.

"So, I was surprised that the Parades Commission okayed the parade through the Garvaghy Road, but it's also, I think, a Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA)."

Congressman Neal said he thought that the decision of the Parades Commission to issue this license for the march was really "ill-considered".

When asked if he would serve as an independent mediator, Rep Neal said he would be "happy to reinforce the determination that would be made by both traditions".

Bipartisan call

Rep Neal is among 14 members of Congress who called on Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant to put a stop to the Orange Order march on Garvaghy Road.

In a letter to Mr Bryant yesterday, members of the Friends of Ireland Caucus described this as a "consequential moment on the island of Ireland" and said that allowing the march to proceed would "reopen wounds that have yet to fully heal".

"Failing to intervene and allowing this contentious parade to move forward would risk undermining the progress that has been painstakingly built over the past three decades," they said.

The letter was signed by House Representatives Richard Neal, Timothy Kennedy, Brendan Boyle, Lloyd Doggett, Stephen Lynch, John Larson, Joe Courtney, Mike Kelly, Bill Keating, Val Hoyle, Debbie Dingell, Jim McGovern, James Gallagher and Jimmy Gomez.

The Representatives added that during the Troubles, "these parades became a symbol of the of the sectarian tensions, public disorder and violence that once threatened Northern Ireland's peace".

"Without decisive action, we risk reopening one of the most painful chapters of Northern Ireland's history and undermining nearly three decades of peace, stability and reconciliation made possible by the Good Friday Agreement," they said.

The members of Congress said the march down Garvaghy Road had been prevented for good reason year after year.

"This march harkens back to decades of sectarian rule and the divisions that defined one of the darkest periods in Ireland's history," they said.