EVERYONE in the community is being urged to work together on the issue of parades, posters and flags, after a week when there was tension across the county over signs and effigies.
At the weekend, in the run up to the Twelfth celebrations, posters were put up in Newtownbutler calling for “no sectarian parades.”
Local Cllr Victor Warrington took to social media to condemn the posters, accusing those who erected them of “raising tensions.”
“We just want to celebrate our culture in a peaceful and dignified way and by doing this no one should be offended,” he said.
Cllr Thomas O’Reilly, who has been involved in efforts over the years to come to agreements on flags and symbols in the village, was not aware of the posters but said thankfully this year’s celebrations passed off in Newtown without incident.
“There was some confusion and clerical administration on the Parades Commission’s website about where bands were going out and coming back in, but we got that sorted out and all went off very peacefully,” said Cllr O’Reilly.
“That is absolutely what we want to see. A lot of people have worked very hard over a lot of years now to ensure that, while we don’t have an agreement on the parading issue in Newtownbutler, we have a situation everybody can live with. Particularly in times of Covid that is very, very helpful.”
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