Parachute Regiment flags spark tension in Fermanagh

Fermanagh and Omagh Council is to write to the Stormont Excutive on the issue of  Parachute Regiment flags being put up in Tamlaght and on Loane Drive in Enniskillen.
The displays come not long after the not guilty verdict delivered to ‘Soldier F’ in the Bloody Sunday trial and have sparked widespread condemnation from elected officials.
Raising the matter at the latest Council meeting, the SDLP’s Cllr Adam Gannon told members, “Following the verdict of the Bloody Sunday trial, Parachute Regiment flags were erected in the Tamlaght area. These fags were erected maliciously with only one goal – to cause hurt and further division. It was effectively a disgusting attempt at gloating in the face of great pain. It’s nothing but sectarian hatred.”
He added the issue, “Highlights the ongoing problems with flags in our communities, which come up again and again and again. The Executive needs to get serious on flags.”
Councillor Gannon proposed writing to the Ministers of the relevant Departments  of Infrastructure, Communities and Justice, bringing this matter to their attention, setting out the hurt it caused and asking for action in proving “meaningful legislation which will remove flags when required.”
This was seconded by Councillor Ruaídhrí Lyttle, Sinn Féin and agreed unanimously across the chamber.
In a joint statement issued before this week’s meeting, UUP representatives Diana Armstrong MLA, Cllr Robert Irvine and Cllr Roy Crawford, urged for wider context.
They suggested the flags may have been erected ahead of Remembrance weekend, rather than in response to the trial verdict.
The statement read, “It is very subjective to just assume this was erected following the High Court judgement last week, without providing wider context of the time of year with Remembrance where many across the community remember their fallen including those from the Parachute Regiment.”
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council previously stated it does not own the land nor infrastructure on which this flag is being flown and is not responsible.
A PSNI spokeswoman said they were aware of the flags in Fermanagh, but said they “did not constitute a criminal offence.”