The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, has condemned the murder in Co Antrim yesterday as "an act of barbarism" and pledged that those responsible would not wreck the peace process.
"Evil and vicious sectarian murders must not be allowed to triumph over the clear will of the majority of right and good-thinking people who want to pursue a future of peace for Northern Ireland. The dispute at Drumcree is a local dispute over a march for this year and however strong the feelings over it, nothing can justify an act of barbarism that leads to the loss of three young lives.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, appealed to Orangemen and nationalists to "look into their hearts" and ask themselves what they could do to prevent further acts of violence. "People should think, do they need to go and parade, people should think, do they need to demonstrate. Do you really need to do this today?"
Dr Mowlam also pointed out that although there were legal protests, the situation at Drumcree had gone beyond that and further violence could not be ruled out. She asked people to "think twice before they exit their front doors." She said that Orangemen should not treat the standoff at Drumcree as their last stand.
The RUC Chief Constable, Mr Ronnie Flanagan, said the deaths of the three children "change everything".
"That's not protest, that's murder," he declared.
The marching issue was important and opposing the marches was just as important to others, but the Orangemen and the residents must reassess their position in the light of the children's deaths. He told BBC's Breakfast with Frost: "People should reassess, people should take stock. I think the loss of life of three children as they slept in their beds changes everything and I would ask people to take stock of their position."