Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster, a representative of the Portadown District and her legal advisers said there is “no alternative” but for the Parades Commission to recognise the “fundamental priority” of the parade application, noting that it has been “moderated in size, scale and impact” and therefore should be approved.
She added that residents have been living with “fears, anxieties, old wounds reopened and many people retraumatised,” and expressed particular concern that children could be exposed to “humiliating scenes” reminiscent of the violence of the 1990s.
Commentators, she said, have warned that the event on Sunday is “not the end, in fact it is the beginning,” noting that after the parade ends on Garvaghy Road supporters and marching bands are expected, evoking memories of the 1995 celebrations of David Trimble and Ian Paisley that many locals view as a “victorious defeat” over the road’s residents.
Another speaker urged the Commission to apply the law, citing Article 11.1 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which creates a presumption in favour of the right of assembly, and warned against “a sad, tired and negative approach” that places “intolerance of others” at the centre of the decision‑making process.
If the Commission approves the application, the speakers argue it could restore a “level of confidence” in the regulatory process; a refusal, they warn, could deepen community divisions and reignite the trauma of past parades.