The erection of union flags at the entrance to a planned new housing development of 40 homes in Co Tyrone has been branded as an attempt to intimidate nationalists from purchasing homes in the area.
The flags issue is the latest to hit the town of Castlederg after a pre-Christmas row which saw signs being erected warning residents to boycott local businesses until union flags on the main street were taken down.
The flags were erected last September by the Castlederg Young Loyalists Flute Band, and ordinarily are taken down by the end of the month.
After a meeting of local representatives in Castlederg, the majority of the flags were removed in the lead up to Christmas.
However, flags on the outskirts were replaced with new ones, including those on the Upper Strabane Road where planning permission has been sought for 39 new homes. The new development is yards away from the Derry and Strabane District Council run Derg Valley Leisure Centre.
“I believe the erection of these flags in a mixed area of the town where new residential homes are being constructed is the outworkings of what is clearly a wider loyalist campaign across the north to try and mark out territory and send a message to nationalists not to move into or buy residential properties in these types of mixed areas,” Cllr Ruairi McHugh said.
“Residents from across the community have contacted me and are very clear they don’t want or support such displays.
“Nobody wants to see any flags of any persuasion flying 365 days a year and it is not welcome by the vast majority of the local community,” the Sinn Fein councillor said.
“There is also an onus on unionist representatives to step up to the plate and show some political leadership by calling for the removal of these flags.”
Castlederg has traditionally been seen as a mixed area, with the last census showing around 57% identifying as Catholics and 38% from a Protestant background.
Bandmaster Trevor Donnell from the Castlederg Young Loyalists flute band said it was his group that had put up the new flags to replace worn ones which had been there previously - and rejected claims they were there to intimidate anyone.
“The only flags that have been put up are the flags of our country,” Mr Donnell said.
“There’s a monument glorifying terrorists in Churchtown Park, I’d be keen to get councillor McHugh’s thoughts on that.
“I lost my uncle and my cousin and they have a monument up there glorifying the people that did it.
“It’s causing real offence to our loved ones, but there’s no chat about that at all. The flag of our country never killed anybody.”
DUP councillor for the area Keith Kerrigan said union flags had been present in the area since September last year, and criticised his fellow local representative for not raising the issue with him directly.
“I have worked exceptionally hard with other community leaders and we successfully saw over 40 flags respectfully taken down in the centre of the town in time for the Christmas light switch on,” Cllr Kerrigan said.
“These came down from The Diamond, Main Street, John Street, William Street and Lower Strabane Road.
“Cllr McHugh has not raised this with me as an elected representative and public statements are unhelpful when myself and others have been and continue to work on the ground.”