13 August 2009 Edition

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Loyalist mob enters Banbridge residential area to remove Tri-colours

Kevin McDaid

Kevin McDaid

BANBRIDGE Sinn Féin Councillor Dessie Ward has said that there frightening similarities between the incident in the Peggy’s Loaning area of the town where a loyalist mob came on Tuesday night, 11 August to remove two Tri-colours to the incident in Coleraine earlier in the summer where loyalists went into an area to remove flags which culminated in the death of Kevin McDaid.
Councillor Ward said:
“This incident has frightening similarities to the incident in Coleraine earlier in the summer where loyalists went into an area to remove flags which culminated in the death of Kevin McDaid.  Loyalist leaders in the area need to ask themselves how appropriate it was to gather a hostile crowd, which included known loyalists paramilitaries, to go to Peggy’s Loaning and seek to remove two tri-colours.
 Ward continued:
“Sinn Féin would like to see Banbridge become a completely flag free area and that includes the hundreds of union and Ulster flags that are erected in the area for several months every year.  It is my view that the flying of flags from lamp posts shows total disrespect towards the flag. The tri-colour in particular is supposed to represent peace between orange and green; the majority of nationalist residents in the estate are asking themselves how placing their national flag on lamp posts and causing conflict contributes towards that objective.”

An Phoblacht
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