Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Northern Ireland on Saturday for the traditional Orange marches.
These events, held at numerous locations, commemorate the 1690 Battle of the Boyne, where Protestant King William III of Orange defeated Catholic King James II of England.
In the lead-up to the 12 July celebrations, large bonfires were lit by Protestants on Thursday and Friday nights at approximately 300 sites in loyalist areas. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service reported facing “challenging” conditions and stated that a firefighter was attacked at a bonfire in Lisburn.
The Orange marches are occasionally controversial in Northern Ireland due to longstanding tensions between pro-British Protestants and pro-Irish Catholics, with previous parades having sometimes erupted into violence.
A total of more than 4,000 police officers were deployed on Saturday, following the deployment of around 1,200 officers on Friday night to ensure safety around the bonfires.
An Orange march in Belfast on Saturday afternoon proceeded without any incidents.
