DUP threatens to remove O'Neill as first minister over Drumcree parade protests

The power-sharing government of Northern Ireland is teetering on the edge of collapse over a parade that never happened. On Friday, the secretary of state banned the Portadown District Lodge from marching down the Garvaghy Road, a predominantly nationalist area where residents have fought for decades to keep Orange Order processions away. The decision was welcomed by nationalist politicians but ignited fury among unionists—and now the Democratic Unionist Party is threatening to use its power to remove Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Féin's first minister, over her role in the protests against the march.

O'Neill joined residents on the Garvaghy Road in opposition to the parade. The PSNI had warned protesters they could face arrest for participating in an unnotified demonstration, and the police have since begun issuing letters inviting people suspected of committing offences to come in for interview. O'Neill is among the Sinn Féin politicians who received such a letter. When the DUP previously called on her to resign, she refused, telling the assembly she was proud to stand with the residents and would continue to do so.

On Saturday, standing outside Drumcree Church, DUP MP Carla Lockhart laid out the threat. She said her constituents were angry—at the police chief for allowing "lawlessness to win," at the secretary of state for intervening, but most of all at O'Neill for what Lockhart called flagrant law-breaking and contempt for unionism and the Orange Order. Lockhart said the DUP has the power to remove O'Neill from the first minister's post if the deputy first minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, were to resign. "It cannot be business as usual at Stormont," Lockhart said, calling for "profound consequences" and saying her party must "use whatever is in our armoury" to deal with O'Neill appropriately.

The threat carries real weight. The DUP and Sinn Féin share power in the Northern Ireland Executive, and if the DUP collapses the government by withdrawing, direct rule from Westminster could follow. Yet DUP leader Gavin Robinson, when pressed on the Sunday Politics programme, stopped short of confirming his party would actually bring down the executive. He echoed Lockhart's language that "it will not be business as usual," but then asked a pointed question: "Does collapsing Stormont bring the Orangemen home?" Robinson also called on the police chief to explain publicly what threat he perceived when he asked the secretary of state to review the parade decision.

The challenge to the DUP came swiftly. Jim Allister, leader of the smaller Traditional Unionist Voice party, accused the DUP of a "limp response," saying Robinson had promised profound consequences but offered none. "The Emperor of the DUP has no clothes," Allister said, arguing that the lack of action showed there would be no political price for Sinn Féin's participation in the protests.

Meanwhile, John O'Dowd, a Sinn Féin assembly member and finance minister, defended his own decision to join the Garvaghy Road protest. He said the residents had "faced an awful four weeks" since the Orange Order applied to march on September 27, and that the community responded in a "peaceful, democratic way." O'Dowd appealed to the DUP and others to "calm their language and show responsible leadership," warning against what he called the demonisation of the Garvaghy Road community. "What we need in Portadown is reconciliation," he said.

The Parades Commission had originally ruled the march could proceed with restrictions on September 27. That parade never took place. After legal challenges and negotiations between residents and the Orange Order, the secretary of state banned it on Friday, saying his decision was in the best interests of peace. He had received advice from the PSNI chief constable that allowing the procession could lead to serious injury, disorder, and wider unrest. On Saturday, a High Court judge declined to treat an Orange Order appeal as an emergency case, adjourning the hearing until Monday.

Lockhart, whose constituency includes Portadown, said the 35 Orangemen from the lodge had "stood lawfully" on Drumcree hill for two weeks. She spoke of the personal weight the hill carries for her, having been there since she was ten years old. When asked if she still had confidence in her own party, she said she would ensure her constituents' voices were heard within the DUP and that she would continue to represent Portadown's views. The question of whether the DUP will follow through on its threats—and whether the power-sharing executive can survive the strain—remains unanswered.