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Jamie Bryson 'Calling the Shots Within DUP', Claims Sinn Fein MLA
Unionists accused the First Minister of breaking the law after she joined a protest that blocked a permitted Orange Order march.
On Sunday, First Minister Michelle O'Neill attended an unnotified protest on Garvaghy Road, blocking a permitted Orange Order parade. DUP leader Gavin Robinson accused her of "willfully" disregarding court rulings and the law.
The Public Processions Act requires 14 days' notice for protests, which demonstrators failed to provide. The High Court authorized the Orange Order's parade at 2:15 AM on Sunday, hours before the event.
Defending her presence, O'Neill claimed she acted to "de-escalate" tensions, while Daniel Holder, director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, argued human rights law protects "spontaneous protests" when legal notice is unfeasible.
Speaker Edwin Poots threatened to compel O'Neill to answer questions after she missed two Assembly sessions; the First Minister committed to appearing next Monday to address the matter.
SDLP Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole warned the standoff exacerbates an "acute political crisis" as the Stormont Executive has yet to agree on a budget, risking further societal division and dysfunction.