A number of residents from the Bishop Street and surrounding areas have been in contact with the IRSP regarding the flying of parachute regiment flags on both corners of the boundary wall on Bishop Street.
Martin Collins from the IRSP in the Bogside and Creggan stated that since we opened this morning we have had numerous phone calls and residents calling in to complain about the provocative flying of the flags facing the bogside. “We have been in contact with representatives from the PUL community as well as other fountain community leaders to try and negotiate with the people concerned to remove the flags. We have had some positive feedback and hopefully we can come to a real positive, respectful and peaceful conclusion.”
Martin also states, “Giving the issues surrounding the flag protests in Belfast, Derry has remained relatively peaceful and there have been some real progress between communities and parties. Both the IRSP and the progressive forces within unionism have been working hard on promoting respect between communities and respecting each other’s cultures and differences and we’ve been quite successful so we’d like to try and keep that momentum going here in Derry.”
“While we respect the PUL community’s right to protest in a peaceful dignified manner we’d also like to ask the PUL community to respect our culture also and displaying provocative flags of a regiment that was responsible for the murder of 14 innocent civilians in the bogside during the civil rights march in 1972 is a step backward in the relations we have been working so hard to keep.”
