Across the UK—particularly in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland—people from all walks of life are being intimidated, threatened, and harassed by members and supporters of the Orange Order. This is not limited to one religious or political group. Residents, shopkeepers, religious minorities, migrants, LGBTQ+ people, and even random bystanders have reported verbal abuse, threats of violence, and obstruction of movement during Orange Order parades and gatherings. Marches routinely result in disruption, property damage, and heightened police presence—not to protect the public from danger, but to manage the danger posed by the marchers. Many people now avoid certain areas entirely out of fear of confrontation or assault.

What’s at stake is the right of ordinary people to walk their streets, live in peace, and go about their lives without fear of sectarian or ideological harassment. If the Orange Order is not proscribed, it sends a message that organised hate, intimidation, and violent glorification of the past can flourish under the protection of "tradition." We cannot allow groups that deliberately incite tension and provoke violence to remain legally endorsed under the banner of culture or religion. Continued tolerance of this behaviour undermines community cohesion, endangers public safety, and chips away at the very principles of equality and peace.

Now is the time to act. Each summer, tensions rise as the so-called "marching season" begins, bringing with it a predictable wave of unrest, fear, and division. There is mounting evidence of radicalisation, glorification of paramilitary violence, and coordinated efforts to intimidate anyone seen as "other." Communities have had enough. The government must step in now and recognise the Orange Order for what it has become: a threat to public safety and social harmony. Proscribing the group as a terrorist organisation is a vital step toward safeguarding all communities and reaffirming that hate and intimidation have no place in a democratic society.