DUP Councillor Bert Johnston
A DUP councillor has been accused of “double standards” after he defended a local nursing home’s decision to decorate communal areas with poppies despite asking the same care home to remove St Patrick’s Day symbols earlier this year.
Bert Johnston, who is the Fermanagh District Council Chairman, said that poppies are not political and is used to commemorate Remembrance Sunday and those who fought in the First World War and other conflicts.
However, an Enniskillen woman, who did not want to be named, said she felt “sickened” because the St Patrick’s Day decorations had been removed from the County Care Nursing Home in Enniskillen after the councillor raised the issue with them.
The woman, whose elderly mother is a resident in the home, claimed that poppies were displayed in communal areas including a noticeboard.
“What annoys me the most is the way some people reacted to the St Patrick’s Day symbols, I’m not offended by the poppies, it’s the principle, because it should be the same for all types of culture and religious symbols,” she added.
“There were no objections or issues but they were determined not to have St Patrick’s symbols. Myself and my mother are not offended by the poppy but we want the same standards for everyone.
“Taking one side and not the other is not fair because it is a mixed area. The poppies are on a noticeboard and along the corridor as well as war stories so they are quite visible.
“I would only want them taken down in line with what they said the last time. It’s best not to celebrate anything if that’s the attitude.”
However the DUP councillor said that everyone should be comfortable with the poppy because it was “not a political symbol”.
“I have seen Catholics, including some who may be nationalists, wearing a poppy. There’s nothing that makes it a political declaration and I would not insist anyone to wear it,” he added.
“The St Patrick’s Day issue was about bunting and that was politicised by a Irish tricolour flag.
“It was a political thing, whether it’s a Union Jack, or an Irish tricolour, flags are political. All people should be able to identify with St Patrick, The two incidents should not be equated.
“It’s rather a pity that this is an issue and I would not ask the care home to take it down.”
A spokesman for the Four Seasons Health Care said they would carry out their own investigation into the matter.
“Both the regional and home manager confirmed that there were no poppies in the home before a Remembrance event today (Tuesday).
“We don’t want to foster any discontent, that’s not our policy,” he added.
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