Green Party East Belfast candidate Cllr Brian Smyth said "Today the Parades Commission have allowed a restricted Orange Order parade down the Garvaghy Road on Sunday, the first time in almost 30 years. I call on everyone involved to make sure it passes off peacefully. Nothing less is acceptable."
"This is not a moment for triumphalism or provocation. It’s a moment for responsibility. Too many lives have been lost to our troubled past, too many families still carry the weight of intergenerational trauma. We owe it to the next generation to break that cycle, not hand it down again."
"We also need honesty. This ruling followed a court decision that quashed the last determination on a procedural technicality. Not because the case for restricting the parade was wrong. Communities deserve a full, transparent account of the Commission’s reasoning, and confidence that its processes are rigorous and consistent, not shaped by whoever wins the last legal fight."
"Cultural expression should never come at the cost of community cohesion. Green politics means peace, sustainability, and justice for every community: investment in youth services, regeneration and trauma‑informed support, so the next generation inherits reconciliation, green jobs and shared prosperity, not conflict."
"Sunday’s peace is fragile. Our collective responsibility is to make sure it holds, and we’re committed to real reconciliation, not just for Sunday, but for every day after."
Cllr Brian Smyth
Green Party Group Leader, Belfast City Council
ENDS