Portadown: Police "to consider suspected breaches" of parades legislation at loyalist protest
Hundreds took part in the event in opposition to the NI protocol
Last updated 5th Jun 2021
Police are going to review footage of a loyalist protest in Portadown earlier to "consider any suspected breaches" to parades legislation.
Hundreds took part in the event to show opposition to the Northern Ireland protocol, some wearing balaclavas.
Chief Inspector Barney O’Connor said: “Police were in attendance at a number of un-notified processions in Portadown this afternoon (Saturday 5 June) which merged at West Street before walking together to join a protest in the centre of the town.”
“Around 300 people took part in the processions and an additional 500 attended the protest, which started at 3pm. The crowd was made up mostly of families and there were no issues. To ensure the road safety of those attending and other members of the public in the area, police diverted traffic around the protest for a short period. Trading was facilitated for local shops and businesses.”
“Organisers of parades / processions are required to give formal notification of their intentions and so a number of verbal and visual warnings were given out by police to participants this afternoon. An evidence-gathering operation was in place and we will now review all the footage gathered and consider any suspected breaches of the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998.”