The spokesman for Portadown Orangemen, Mr David Jones, has been suspended hours after making a hardline statement on Drumcree. It is the first public sign of major divisions in the order in Co Armagh.
Mr Jones had rejected calls from the Church of Ireland Primate, Dr Robin Eames, that Orangemen agree to three peace pledges before they attempted to march from Drumcree church next year.
Dr Eames had asked them to obey the law, not to use church property or its environs for any form of protest, and to avoid any action which would diminish the sanctity of the worship at the event.
In an interview on BBC Radio Ulster yesterday Mr Jones said: "We would have difficulty with these pledges. One of the pledges is to obey the law, but regrettably because of the situation which has developed we don't accept the authority of the Parades Commission."
Dr Eames had offered to mediate between Orange leaders and nationalist residents to try to find a solution. Mr Jones said Orangemen could meet the archbishop but not talk directly to residents.
In the radio interview, Mr Jones was said to be speaking on behalf of Portadown Orangemen. He said Dr Eames's pledges had been "looked at in disgust" the previous night at an Orange meeting. Local feeling was unanimously against the proposals.
Earlier in the week, the County Armagh Grand Master, Mr Denis Watson, had said he foresaw no problem in Orangemen accepting the pledges. Within hours of Mr Jones's statement yesterday, Mr Watson phoned him to tell him he was no longer spokesman for Portadown brethren.
In a later statement Mr Watson said Mr Jones "has had his membership of the Orange Order suspended, pending an investigation into a breach of Orange protocol, and not as a result of the content of his interview".
It is understood Mr Jones received a letter from Mr Watson on Monday saying all his media interviews had to be cleared at a higher level in the order beforehand.
Mr Jones was not available for comment last night but is expected to reject the charges.
A former Ulster Unionist, Mr Watson was elected to the Assembly on a strongly anti-Agreement, pro-Drumcree platform. However, hardline Orangemen have complained he has "moderated" his stance and are furious at Mr Jones's suspension.
Alliance's chief whip, Mr David Ford, said he was disgusted by Mr Jones's rejection of Dr Eames's request for pledges.
The Sinn Fein Assembly member for Upper Bann, Ms Dara O'Hagan, said the refusal of Portadown Orangemen to heed even the pleas of the archbishop showed how out of touch "this rump had become."
Meanwhile, the North's Police Authority has rejected a proposal from the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of the British House of Commons that members of organisations such as the Orange Order be banned from joining the RUC.
Instead, the authority suggested a register of interests requiring officers to list membership of any organisation which the public might think could influence their judgment.