Northern Ireland

Simon Coveney says pressure to find NI Protocol solutions before marching season as more loyalist protests planned

Foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney
Foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney Foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney

SIMON Coveney has said there is pressure to find solutions to issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol ahead of the loyalist marching season.

The foreign affairs minister was speaking as more loyalist protests are planned over the coming days.

Large crowds turned out in Markethill, Carrickfergus and Antrim at the weekend amid ongoing anger over the Irish Sea border and claims of two-tier policing.

Rioting broke out in several loyalist areas last month.

A protest is planned in Broughshane in Co Antrim this Friday and north Down loyalist Jamie Bryson said he believed they will continue.

"My understanding is that many communities across Northern Ireland are continuing to organise protests," he said.

"The protests are peaceful and I would encourage people to make them peaceful."

Mr Bryson also challenged the authority of the PSNI to declare some of the gatherings unlawful.

"It is wrong to tell people that processions and protest gatherings are banned, rather the PSNI have a statutory obligation to apply a proportionality test and to facilitate such protests and/or parades, notwithstanding the Covid regulations."

The PSNI said failure by parade organisers to submit a formal notification to the Parades Commission means "police will investigate the circumstances". 

Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Roberts said officers attending unnotified parades gather evidence which is reviewed "for any suspected breaches of the Public Procession (NI) Act 1998 and the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021".

He added: "When investigating the circumstances of suspected breaches of the regulations police will be mindful of the extent to which those attending might be exercising human rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights or the Human Rights Act. 



“The Police Service of Northern Ireland continues to urge the public to act responsibly and follow the Health Protection Regulations and associated guidance.”

Speaking after a meeting with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic yesterday, Mr Coveney said the "last thing we want to see is… moving into a marching season this summer, without Covid-19 restrictions keeping people in their homes, without many of these issues resolved politically".

"So, I think there is a pressure that we find a way to come up with solutions by some point in June, and I think the commission is very much aware of that and I'm sure the British government is too."

A meeting of the EU-UK joint committee on the protocol could take place in the first week of June and Mr Coveney told RTÉ that both sides would have to try to reach some kind of veterinary agreement that would reduce the need for most inspections at ports.

Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie, confirming his intention to stand as party leader following the resignation of Steve Aiken, said the protocol must be replaced and the UUP had an alternative ready.

"I do not want a hardened border on the island of Ireland. But neither do I want a border in the Irish Sea," he said.