The Parades Commission has decided not to reverse its decision to allow an Orange Order march to proceed down the nationalist Springfield Road in west Belfast this afternoon.
The decision comes after several nights of disturbances along the so-called peaceline, which separates Springfield Road from the loyalist Shankill Road.
Police were forced to move in on several occasions to disperse rival crowds. On Thursday, it was decided for safety reasons to close the gates at Lanark Way, which separate the two areas.
A Sinn Fein delegation yesterday met the Parades Commission to urge it to re-route the parade. Afterwards, a west Belfast party councillor, Mr Tom Hartley, said the delegation had done its best to impress upon the commission the need to reverse its decision.
"We highlighted the tension and fear among the nationalist community because of recent loyalist attacks . . . We welcome the fact that the Parades Commission have recognised that there is a problem in this area with this parade and are pleased that they are to review their decision. However, I would like to make it clear that these words must be backed up by deeds," said Mr Hartley.
Sinn Fein has claimed the RUC opened one of the security gates at Workman Avenue for a brief period on Thursday night to allow a small group of loyalists, including four masked men, to hold a protest on the nationalist side.
An RUC spokesman said that following discussions with community representatives, police allowed 10 women to hold a half-hour token protest on the nationalist side of the peace line. The protest was supervised at all times by police and no masked men were present, he added.
In its annual report, the commission yesterday called for both sides in the Drumcree dispute to come to an accommodation before Monday, when the commission will announce its decision on the first of two big processions to Drumcree Parish Church, due to take place on July 2nd.
The commission said Drumcree-linked demonstrations accounted for one in three of the 152 parades restricted by it in the past year.
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, said if both sides abided by the law there would not be any disturbances. "There will be no trouble on the Garvaghy Road if nationalists let people - the Orange Order - walk down the road and kept the peace. So it is a matter of people being prepared to abide by the law.
"As far as the Parades Commission is concerned, that is an organisation that should be sent to Siberia," he told the BBC.