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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Brendan Hughes

DUP and TUV leaders to join Orange hall anti-Protocol rally in Co Down

Leading unionist politicians are to attend a rally at an Orange hall on Thursday evening in opposition to Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and TUV leader Jim Allister are scheduled to speak at the event at 7.30pm at Dromore Orange Hall in Co Down.

Baroness Kate Hoey and former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib are also expected to address the rally, which is being hosted by Lower Iveagh District Orange Lodge Number 1.

The event comes a week after the DUP's Paul Givan resigned as First Minister in protest over post-Brexit Irish Sea trading arrangements.

Sir Jeffrey has warned his party will not return to the Stormont Executive after May's Assembly election until their demands over the Protocol are met.

Other Stormont parties have criticised the DUP withdrawal of the First Minister as "reckless" and claimed the move was an electoral stunt aimed at shoring up poor poll ratings.

The Protocol was agreed between the UK and EU to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic after Brexit.

But the deal has resulted in extra checks and processes on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Negotiations are continuing between London and Brussels on reworking the Protocol to address concerns over the Irish Sea trade border.

Speaking ahead of the rally, Lower Iveagh District Master John Wilkinson said: "The Orange Order has been to the fore in opposing the Protocol which partitions the United Kingdom.

"A border has been driven down the Irish Sea without the consent of the people of Northern Ireland, undermining our constitutional position, damaging our economy and, as the events of the past week have shown, destabilising our politics.

"We as a District are glad to be able to present grassroots unionists with an opportunity to hear from unionist leaders and those taking the fight against the Protocol to the courts."

Mr Wilkinson said the event is "open to all in the Orange family and wider unionism".

"I believe that this rally will provide people with an opportunity to be better educated about the Protocol and its dangers," he said.

"Thursday night will permit us to explore these matters and the other ramifications of the Protocol with a highly informed panel."

Last week Orange Order grand secretary Rev Mervyn Gibson said more than 52,000 people had signed a petition against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He accepted some could be double signatures or not genuine as the petition was also online, but he said the "vast majority walked into an Orange Hall and signed their name".

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