Orangemen from South Down will hand in a letter of protest
this evening - Monday, February 4 at 7.30pm - to Banbridge
District Council about the removal of British symbols from
the public areas of their offices.
A letter will be handed in on behalf of 50 Orange lodges
in the Banbridge area.
The letter states:
"Our members are devastated that a number of items are
no longer on display in that part of the Council offices to
which the public has free access.
"These include a painting of an RAF Vehicle Checkpoint,
a painting of the Twelfth of July and plaques from the RUC
Male Voice Choir, the Royal British Legion, the Ulster Defence
Regiment, The Ulster Special Constabulary, the Royal Irish
Rangers, the Royal Irish Rifles, the Royal Irish Fusiliers,
the Hampshire Constabulary and the Irish Guards.
"Throughout the troubles Orangemen responded to our
government's request for people to join the security forces
and help defeat terrorism. More than 200 of our members gave
their lives fighting terrorism.
"To now discover that Banbridge District Council have
moved plaques to the security forces is utterly devastating
and we request that these be restored to their original location
without delay."
The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland recently published an open
letter stating that the Equality Commission was engaged on
a long term strategy to wipe the face of Britishness from
Northern Ireland. Their principal target was the union flag
which it intended to remove from every council and government
building across Northern Ireland.
Orange Order Grand Secretary Drew Nelson this afternoon,
Monday, met the Equality Commission to discuss the issue.
Mr Nelson said:
"Our delegation raised the issue of the political use
of the Irish language by local councils and highlighted the
fact that the Equality Commission did not appear to have commissioned
any research into the level of hostility felt by the Protestant
community towards the political use of the Irish language.
"Last October the Equality Commission published a 76
page document entitled Promoting Good Relations - A Guide
for Public Authorities. This document mentions flags 14 times
but only mentions the Irish language once.
"There is an underlying tone of anti-Britishness throughout
the document including reference ( par 2.6) to 'the display
of aggressive and intimidating flags.'
"This document clearly portrays British flags and emblems
in a way which tends to show them in a bad light.
"We want the Equality Commission to clearly say they
have no objections to local councils flying the union flag,
all year round, at their headquarters and if the local community
desires, at other appropriate locations such as in the vicinity
of war memorials and old townhalls."
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