Orange parade enters Catholic area

Tension High over Orange March

More than 1,000 members of the Orange Order, carrying banners and flags and wearing traditional sashes and bowler hats, marched six abreast into the predominantly Catholic Garvaghy Road at precisely 1 pm.

The Orange Lodge Parade
Peter Hunt reports from Drumcree -- Dur: 1:58

Nationalist residents, held back by police and troops, hurled abuse and banged dustbin lids as the parade passed between lines of vehicles belonging to the security forces. Bottles were thrown but the Orangemen marched in silence, and the event passed off peaceafully.

However, as soon troops withdrew from the area when the marchers left, nationalist protestors vented their anger on the security forces. Stones and petrol bombs were hurled at police land rovers and officers clad in riot gear.

Cars set alight in the Garvaghy Road

A spate of hijackings and petrol bombings was later reported in Belfast and elsewhere in the province. In one of the most serious incidents, a train was set alight in nearby Lurgan. During protests in Belfast, shots were fired at police.

The political repercussions of the parade
Mark Devenport reports -- Dur: 1:55

The Portadown march was allowed to go ahead after the Northern Ireland Secretary, Mo Mowlam said she had done her utmost to reach a compromise solution. She told reporters she had met intransigence on both sides.

Mowlam "did her utmost"

The Northern Ireland Secretary admits failure

On the steps of Stormont Castle in Belfast Ms Mowlam told a news conference: "Northern Ireland has seen far too many tragedies. Peace and the preservation of life in the end matters most of all." The right to peaceful assembly, the right to march, was a basic right. But she said all rights carried responsibilities and should be, "exercised with respect for the rights and freedoms of others." Ms Mowlam said the decision by the RUC chief constable to allow the Drumcree march to go ahead was taken to preserve public safety.

Full Support

Ronnie Flanagan, allowing the march to go ahead - "the lesser of two evils"

"a stark choice"

The RUC Chief Constable, Ronnie Flannagan, announced his decision to let the march go ahead early on Sunday morning after a night of rioting on the Garvaghy Road. He said he had made his decision after weighing up 'two evils'.

"The choice I was left with was a simple, stark choice in terms of balancing two evils," he said. "Each evil threatened to bring about serious violence. I'm talking about loss of life." He apologised to residents of Garvaghy Road for the fact that the parade had to go ahead and said conditions had been imposed to make sure it would pass quietly. "I want to subject them to minimum violence," he said.

The Irish Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern, expressed disappointment at the decision to allow the march. The IRA's political wing, Sinn Fein, said it was outraged.

Day Began in Violence

Police clash overnight with nationalist protestors.

Ten civilians and three police were hurt in the clashes when RUC officers and troops in riot gear moved into the road in a surprise early-morning swoop at about 3.30am. Hundreds of residents confronted two lines of police and petrol bombs and bricks were hurled at officers. Road signs were ripped from the ground and bricks pulled from driveways to use as ammunition.

A police spokesman said those injured were "walking wounded" and not seriously hurt. But people in the crowd said three civilians were hit by plastic bullets.