Assembly member interviewed by police over Drumcree protests

A Northern Ireland Assembly member has been interviewed by police investigating protests over the Drumcree parading dispute.

People Before Profit's Gerry Carroll was among several politicians asked to attend interviews over their involvement in the demonstrations on Garvaghy Road in Portadown, County Armagh.

The protests were part of a 13-day stand-off which blocked a contentious Orange Order march from passing along the mainly nationalist street.

Speaking after his police interview, Carroll said there were "holes everywhere in this case" and he gave a "very robust and strong statement" to officers.

"I make no apology for standing with the Garvaghy Road residents and I would do it again in a heartbeat," he said.

Carroll was accompanied by a solicitor as he arrived at the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) station in Belfast city centre shortly after 15:00 BST.

He emerged from Musgrave PSNI station nearly two hours later.

The assembly member for West Belfast said it was a "voluntary PSNI interview" and he "gave a prepared statement" to officers.

"I was exercising my right to free expression and peaceful assembly," he added.

"When a community asks for support that's exactly when elected representatives should turn up."

Carroll said millions of pounds have been "wasted" on policing Drumcree and "hours were wasted here today".

Police investigating the protests said last Thursday they had begun issuing letters seeking interviews with people "reasonably suspected" of committing offences linked to the demonstrations.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill and several other senior Sinn Féin politicians have confirmed receiving letters from police.

O'Neill told reporters on Wednesday they were still "working that out" when asked if she had a date yet for her interview.

Unionist parties have called for action against O'Neill and others over the protests, accusing nationalist parties of acting unlawfully.

The Sinn Féin vice-president has defended her attendance at the demonstrations saying she would "continue to stand with the Garvaghy Road residents".

The Drumcree parade dispute began in the mid-1990s and it almost derailed the peace process at the time.

Violence related to the dispute resulted in riots, roadblocks and murders.

When the Orange Order was prevented by police from walking down the route in July 1995 there was a tense stand-off. It was the same for the next three years.

The Parades Commission began operating in 1998 to regulate parades and try to defuse tension around marches.

Its decision not to allow a march down the Garvaghy Road that summer has been challenged by the order for the past three decades.

Last month, the Parades Commission decided that the march could go ahead on 27 September with restrictions in place after its original decision to stop the march was overturned in court.

That morning, up to 1,000 people - including nationalist politicians - blocked the road, preventing Orangemen marching from Drumcree Church a mile to the west.

Since then there were repeated attempts by the Orange Order to walk the route, but they were stopped by police.

Residents maintained a constant presence on the Garvaghy Road, but that ended on 9 October when the NI Secretary Sir Chris Bryant banned the parade following advice from the PSNI chief constable.

An Orange Order challenge to Sir Chris' decision was delayed on Monday after Northern Ireland's police chief Jon Boutcher was added to the case.

Belfast's High Court heard that the case is being brought against both Boutcher and Sir Chris.

Also on Monday, the Garvaghy Road residents failed in a bid to challenge the Parades Commission's decision to allow the Drumcree parade to walk down the predominantly nationalist road.

The Court of Appeal judges said their decision was confined to the lawfulness of the decision - it was not deciding whether or not the march should occur.

Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan said the ruling was decided before Sir Chris banned the parade.