Oasis star Noel Gallagher, Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr are among dozens of big names from music, film and the arts who have thrown their weight behind Garvaghy Road residents amid the Drumcree stand-off.
Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar, Derry Girls actor Siobhán McSweeney, Paul Weller and all three members of Kneecap have also signed an open letter to the Secretary of State saying the Portadown community must be protected from any forced march.
Other signatories include film director Jim Sheridan, Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, Madness frontman Suggs, Paul Simonon of The Clash, Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja, Dexys Midnight Runners singer Kevin Rowland and Imelda May.
The letter, signed by almost 50 people, urges Chris Bryant to work with the Irish government to appoint an international mediator after talks at Hillsborough Castle broke up without agreement last week.
It says residents must be “robustly protected from any form of forced processions that disregard their consent, safety, and right to live in peace free from intimidation”.
“The residents of the Garvaghy Road endured years of profound trauma, fear, and disruption during the height of the parading conflicts in the 1990s,” the letter states.
“After nearly three decades of hard-earned calm, it is entirely unacceptable that this community should face a return to that anxiety.”
It adds: “Over the last twenty-eight years, the hard-won peace in Northern Ireland has allowed an entire generation to grow up free from the anguish and violence of the past.
“To allow old wounds to be aggressively reopened risks destabilising community relations not only in Portadown but across society in the North.”
The signatories say that following the breakdown of the Hillsborough talks “it has become increasingly evident that local mechanisms have exhausted their current utility and that a fresh, independent framework is required to prevent a deeper crisis”.
“Therefore, we respectfully urge you to work in tandem with the Irish Government to appoint an independent international mediator from outside Ireland and Britain to facilitate a robust, durable resolution,” they write.
The letter also points to the Chief Constable’s warning of the “potentially catastrophic consequences of attempting to force a contentious march through this community”.
“An international mediator – possessing a proven background in deeply rooted cultural conflicts and entirely unburdened by domestic political pressures – offers a viable path forward,” it states.
“We cannot afford to step backward. We urge you to exercise courageous political leadership at this critical juncture by looking to the international community for a neutral arbiter who can guide all sides toward a shared, peaceful future.”
The Court of Appeal reserved judgment on Monday in the residents’ latest legal challenge to the Parades Commission’s decision to allow 35 Orangemen could walk the Garvaghy Road, the first time the return parade has been permitted since 1998.
Sinn Féin Deputy Leader Michelle O’Neill said: “Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon, founder of The Smiths Johnny Marr, legend of music Paul Weller, actors Siobhán McSweeney and Adrian Dunbar.
“These are just some of the dozens of names, big names in music, in film, in the arts, who have put their name to a letter supporting the right of the Garvaghy Road residents to live in peace, free from intimidation.
“The celebrities have called for the Garvaghy Road community to be protected from any form of forced march.
“Support for that community continues to grow right across Ireland and right around the world.
“The British Secretary of State needs to put an end to this.
“I want our 28 years of peace to be protected. There can be no going back, not now and not ever.”