Loyalists vow to continue flag protests, five years on from dispute

Loyalists have vowed to continue their weekly protest at the removal of the Union flag from Belfast City Hall '“ exactly five years after demonstrations first started.
File photo dated 09/01/13 of the Union flag flying over Belfast City Hall. A resident of the city has won a case at the UK's highest court over the failure of Northern Ireland police to prevent union flag protests.File photo dated 09/01/13 of the Union flag flying over Belfast City Hall. A resident of the city has won a case at the UK's highest court over the failure of Northern Ireland police to prevent union flag protests.
File photo dated 09/01/13 of the Union flag flying over Belfast City Hall. A resident of the city has won a case at the UK's highest court over the failure of Northern Ireland police to prevent union flag protests.

Protests sprang up after Belfast City Council voted on December 3, 2012 to fly the flag only on 18 designated days rather than all year around.

The controversial decision led to street demonstrations across the Province, as well as sparking riots..

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To this day, a small demonstration continues to take place in front of Belfast City Hall each week.

Five years after the Union Flag is taken down from Belfast City Hall, protestors send in this pic and the following press release from William Dickson which they say was read out on Dec 2: 
"On this our 5th Anniversary of the Union Flag Protests, we wish to pay tribute to those who faithfully came along each week in all weathers and at times had to face attacks by those who took offense at our presence.
Will our protests continue? Many have been asking that question. The answer to that is yes. The weekly flag protest is a protest by individuals and not under any organization, but the general view is that the protests will continue as a reminder to all of that infamous action by Belfast City Council in taking down the flag of our country.
We have had our problems with what we view as political policing, but we wish to thank the police on duty at the front of Belfast City Hall for their weekly presence, thus ensuring our right to hold a peaceful protest."Five years after the Union Flag is taken down from Belfast City Hall, protestors send in this pic and the following press release from William Dickson which they say was read out on Dec 2: 
"On this our 5th Anniversary of the Union Flag Protests, we wish to pay tribute to those who faithfully came along each week in all weathers and at times had to face attacks by those who took offense at our presence.
Will our protests continue? Many have been asking that question. The answer to that is yes. The weekly flag protest is a protest by individuals and not under any organization, but the general view is that the protests will continue as a reminder to all of that infamous action by Belfast City Council in taking down the flag of our country.
We have had our problems with what we view as political policing, but we wish to thank the police on duty at the front of Belfast City Hall for their weekly presence, thus ensuring our right to hold a peaceful protest."
Five years after the Union Flag is taken down from Belfast City Hall, protestors send in this pic and the following press release from William Dickson which they say was read out on Dec 2: "On this our 5th Anniversary of the Union Flag Protests, we wish to pay tribute to those who faithfully came along each week in all weathers and at times had to face attacks by those who took offense at our presence. Will our protests continue? Many have been asking that question. The answer to that is yes. The weekly flag protest is a protest by individuals and not under any organization, but the general view is that the protests will continue as a reminder to all of that infamous action by Belfast City Council in taking down the flag of our country. We have had our problems with what we view as political policing, but we wish to thank the police on duty at the front of Belfast City Hall for their weekly presence, thus ensuring our right to hold a peaceful protest."

And flag protestors have pledged that they will continue to hold the weekly demonstration “as a reminder to all of that infamous action by Belfast City Council in taking down the flag of our country”.

In a statement released on Saturday to mark the 5th anniversary of the dispute, flag protestor Billy Dickson paid tribute to those who “faithfully came along each week in all weathers and at times had to face attacks by those who took offense at our presence”.

And while he claimed the protestors have “had our problems with what we view as political policing”, he thanked the PSNI officers on duty at Belfast City Hall for their weekly presence, which he said “ensures our right to hold a peaceful protest”.

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There have been calls from some quarters within unionism for the flag protests to come to an end.

Five years after the Union Flag is taken down from Belfast City Hall, protestors send in this pic and the following press release from William Dickson which they say was read out on Dec 2: 
"On this our 5th Anniversary of the Union Flag Protests, we wish to pay tribute to those who faithfully came along each week in all weathers and at times had to face attacks by those who took offense at our presence.
Will our protests continue? Many have been asking that question. The answer to that is yes. The weekly flag protest is a protest by individuals and not under any organization, but the general view is that the protests will continue as a reminder to all of that infamous action by Belfast City Council in taking down the flag of our country.
We have had our problems with what we view as political policing, but we wish to thank the police on duty at the front of Belfast City Hall for their weekly presence, thus ensuring our right to hold a peaceful protest."Five years after the Union Flag is taken down from Belfast City Hall, protestors send in this pic and the following press release from William Dickson which they say was read out on Dec 2: 
"On this our 5th Anniversary of the Union Flag Protests, we wish to pay tribute to those who faithfully came along each week in all weathers and at times had to face attacks by those who took offense at our presence.
Will our protests continue? Many have been asking that question. The answer to that is yes. The weekly flag protest is a protest by individuals and not under any organization, but the general view is that the protests will continue as a reminder to all of that infamous action by Belfast City Council in taking down the flag of our country.
We have had our problems with what we view as political policing, but we wish to thank the police on duty at the front of Belfast City Hall for their weekly presence, thus ensuring our right to hold a peaceful protest."
Five years after the Union Flag is taken down from Belfast City Hall, protestors send in this pic and the following press release from William Dickson which they say was read out on Dec 2: "On this our 5th Anniversary of the Union Flag Protests, we wish to pay tribute to those who faithfully came along each week in all weathers and at times had to face attacks by those who took offense at our presence. Will our protests continue? Many have been asking that question. The answer to that is yes. The weekly flag protest is a protest by individuals and not under any organization, but the general view is that the protests will continue as a reminder to all of that infamous action by Belfast City Council in taking down the flag of our country. We have had our problems with what we view as political policing, but we wish to thank the police on duty at the front of Belfast City Hall for their weekly presence, thus ensuring our right to hold a peaceful protest."

Loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson, who was prominent in the early flag protests, has previously said it is time to move on and adopt an updated strategy

But Mr Dickson revealed there is no end in sight, added: “The weekly flag protest is a protest by individuals and not under any organization, but the general view is that the protests will continue.”

Describing Belfast City Council’s decision in 2012 to only fly the Union flag on designated days as “outrageous”, Mr Dickson said: “This was at the end of the year in which unionists were celebrating the 100 anniversary of the signing of the Ulster Covenant, which led to the creation of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.

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“This action by Belfast City Council was seen as the final straw in a long list of grievance felt by the loyalist people who believed that their British identity and culture was being eroded.

“Loyalist anger came to a boiling point and many felt the need to do something.”

Mr Dickson felt it was “not surprising” that serious violence erupted following the council’s decision, claiming that flag protesters were left to carry on their protests independently and without political leadership.

“It is remarkable that despite the trouble at early protests the vast majority since then have been peaceful for which we must pay tribute to the restraint of the loyalist people in the face of severe provocation by what they viewed as political policing,” Mr Dickson added.