Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal (D-MA-01) and U.S. Congressman Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus, led the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus in a letter addressed to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Bryant, calling on the Government of the United Kingdom to cancel the Orange Order parade on Garvaghy Road.
“Over the last three decades, the progress made on the island of Ireland has been nothing short of extraordinary. Twenty-eight years have passed since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and a generation has grown without a single memory of the Troubles,” the lawmakers wrote. “It was that same 28-year period that saw the end of the controversial Orange Order marches on Garvaghy Road in a majority-Catholic area of Portadown. During the Troubles, these parades became a symbol of the sectarian tensions, public disorder, and violence that once threatened Northern Ireland’s peace.
“This is a consequential moment on the island of Ireland, which is why we respectfully urge you to put a stop to this march,” continued the lawmakers.”Failing to intervene and allowing this contentious parade to move forward would risk undermining the progress that has been painstakingly built over the past three decades. As a guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the United States has a vested interest in seeing the principles embodied in the accord upheld, ensuring the gains we have achieved can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.
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