THOSE behind the raising of the British Army Parachute Regiment flags in Enniskillen are not representative of their community, it has been stressed.
The controversial flags of the infamous regiment have appeared at Chanterhill and on the main Sligo Road coming into the town at the entrance to Coleshill. The raising of the flags coincides with the Ballymurphy inquest, which has seem some shocking and harrowing revelations over the past week, while the regiment was also involved in Bloody Sunday.
However, it has been claimed only a very small number of people are responsible for the flags, which people in the communities where they have been raised don’t approve of.
Enniskillen councillor Tommy Maguire said there was a long established “no flag policy” in the Council, and said was “very unfortunate” somebody thinks putting up a flag in direct provocation of one side of the community.”
“We tolerate some flags that can obviously be identified as relating to people’s culture, but I would question the motivation of the person, or the people, involved in putting up the Parachute Regiment flags, given the current court cases and obviously the history and the way it relates to the nationalist people of Ireland,” he said.
Cllr Maguire added: “I do know that over the years the flags in the Coleshill area, we’ve had a year or two when they weren’t up at all. In conversations with people from that area, the general opinion there is it’s a very small minority putting up these flags and they’re not in 100 percent support of the people putting the flags up.
“Somebody branding the area with such a contentious flag at this time is one that needs to be faced down. I would call on other public representatives and those involved in good relations in the Townhall to consult with these people and make some moves to remove them.”
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