Uachtarán Shinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald and Leas-Uachtarán Shinn Féin Michelle O’Neill have commented on the announcement that there will be no Orange march down the Garvaghy Road.
“Today belongs to the residents of the Garvaghy Road, who have shown remarkable strength and dignity in the face of provocation and intimidation. There will be an enormous sense of relief within the community this evening.
“For two weeks, local residents have endured fear and anxiety through no fault of their own. They never asked for this wound to be reopened, yet they faced these challenges with courage, determination and enormous resilience. They now need time and space to heal and recover.
“Sinn Féin will continue to stand with the residents of the Garvaghy Road in the days, weeks and months ahead.
“From the outset, we made clear that 28 years of peace was not a problem that required a solution. It was progress that needed to be protected.
“That message resonated far beyond the Garvaghy Road. People from across Ireland and further afield, from all religious backgrounds and none, answered that call. They stood in solidarity with residents and with their right to live free from sectarian harassment and intimidation.
“This small nationalist community needed that support, and it received it in abundance.
“Today, I want to commend everyone who stood firm, stood together and played their part in protecting the peace and progress that has been achieved on the Garvaghy Road.
“The people of the Garvaghy Road deserve the opportunity to get on with their lives free from sectarianism, intimidation and fear. They deserve a future in which their children and grandchildren never have to experience the same intimidation and anxiety that previous generations were forced to endure.
“People from every background and every corner of Ireland have delivered a clear and unambiguous message: our society will not be dragged back into the past.
“They have spoken with one voice.
“There is no going back. Not now. Not ever.”
CRÍOCH/ENDS