Flag saga Northern Ireland

[SucksFakeSanta]

I am ashamed to be from NI.

Thank goodness there has been no loss of life, but some people have had terrifying experiences.

My DC are now scared of 'the flag people' after the route to my DTSs birthday dinner was blocked by a mob earlier this evening.

Seriously fed up with it all. Cannot imagine what it must be like to be working in retail or tourism at the minute.

sucks, would you mind explaining what is going on? I keep seeing bits on the news but don't really get what is happening and why?

me too santa (your name is ace! )

thankfully i am far enough away not to be affected but i am so angry for all the traders and shoppers and residents who are being put trhough this.

you poor DTs. have you had to rearrange?

It is beyond reason.

Belfast City Council made the decision not to fly the Union Flag outside Belfast City Hall 365 days a year. Loyalists see this as an insult to their national identity and some have chosen to protest by blocking roads. And hijacking cars. And setting them alight. And targeting police with fireworks, missiles.

It is so sad. Have family in some affected areas.

Its pure insanity. Dont really know what they hope to achieve with the rioting.

Though, in all honesty, I would guess that the majority of rioters are just little idiots with nothing better to do.

Ashamed to be from here.

Thanks Santa. (Love your name too )

We managed to take a 'non-traditional route', and had our family dinner. And had a detour on the way home too.

Scenes on the news are just deplorable.

But the thing is a decision has been made about the flag flying. So the rioters are using violence to try and get the decision overturned. And if the violence works then this is not a good thing for anybody.

Thank you sucks. Is there a reason why they took the flag down?
How can anyone think a flag is important enough to terrorize people that are probably their own neighbors?
I know that there are occasional outbreaks of violence in NI, but I really thought this was all pretty much sorted out now ( I live in London and have to be honest it's not something that is really on my radar) I hope you all stay safe.

It wont work. The union flag cant go back up now for exactly that reason. They are being counterproductive.

Theres stories coming out now of police heavyhandedness and brutality. The whole thing is a shambles.

Loyalists feel that the politicians elected to represent them have sold out and their national identity is being threatened.

Belfast is a UK city. The union flag flies in edinburgh and cardiff so they feel it should fly here too.

Braindead, hate-spouting, small-minded, utterly foul scumbags. The lot of them.

Who, ironically, consider themselves good god-fearing christians

Makes me embarassed to be from N.I.

Whatever anyone thinks of the decision it was made democratically following a vote in Council which was passed by a narrow majority. It's a compromise position to fly on 19 designated days only (queens birthday etc). This is the case in some parts of the uk while others fly it 365 days. The republican preference would be to not fly it at all but before this vote it flew 365 days, not that anyone probably ever notices!

nancy this link gives information about the decision.

Members of the Alliance party have been attacked, including a young couple who were at home with their baby daughter when their house was paint-bombed.

My DH and I are from different religious backgrounds, and I had hoped to protect our DC from the divisions in our society here.

I have tried to explain to them what happened this evening without scaring them, but it's hard. It was scary.

flags are a real big issue here TBH.

Traders have lost 3 million so far according to ITV news.

Absolute disgrace.

It's obviously just fuckwits, isn't it.

I mean, everyone knows July is the rioting season.

Seriously though, Sucksfake, paintbombing is a big leap forward from petrol bombing, no? Let's look on the positive side.

I think it was very badly handled by the unionist parties

They leafleted a large part of Belfast rubbishing the Alliance party and smearing the MP Naomi Long.
Naomi Long is an Alliance Party MP who won the First Minister Peter Robinson's seat in the aftermath of Peter Robinson and his fragrant wife Iris's ongoing disputes and media furore during the last elections.
The DUP UUP thought linking this vote (by the Alliance party counsellors in Belfast City council to reduce the flying of the union flag on the city hall) with an erosion of Britishness in partnership with SF/SDLP would mean Robinson would have a better chance to regaining the seat.

They (unionist parties) should really have prepared their constituencies for the vote as the result was better than earlier expected.
They aren't to blame of course but they could do a lot to explain things and soothe

I think what gets me is half the people out there rioting don't get their backsides down to the polling stations. Support the flag staying up or not, it was a democratic vote by the people we have elected to represent us.

It's a total farce and mortifying. Just a bunch of barely educated hoodlums.

Agree with what you've said Waynedeer.

And Boulevard, I'd agree, but unfortunately petrol bombs were used tonight. Hit an unmarked police car; the occupants were lucky to escape without serious injury, apparently.

I am disgusted. My DN had to leave the Christmas market and my family have put off going into town because of these fuckwits. Our traders are losing millions, it's damaging to the long term economy, people are terrified and pissed off in equal measure AND unless it stops soon, someone will be badly hurt or worse.

Also I will not be able to go to my work do this weekend.
I am so and .

Can't bear that a lot of the people involved are so young

It is frightening that many of the rioters are coming from what should have been the peace generation. People who are too young to remember the actual Troubles.

They are puppets, being wound up and used by politicians and paramilitaries. This is how our children become bitter.