Paramilitary flags banned under new protocol in south Belfast

The move, agreed by the Ballynafeigh Unionist Forum, will see only Union and Northern Ireland flags erected, with a ban on flags associated with paramilitary groups.

Flags will go up in the middle of June and be taken down no later than early September.

The group also stated that there will also be no more than one flag per lamppost and there will be no flag on the lamppost nearest the entrance to the Catholic Church near Rosetta roundabout.

In a statement on Facebook, the group said: “As most people in Northern Ireland will know, a large part of unionist cultural expression is around parading.

“The unionist community in Ballynafeigh (Ormeau Road) is no different and we have carried out this parading tradition for well over 100 years.

“Shared space is not the same as neutral space. During the months of July and August, we aim to express our identity and culture in our usual traditional manner.

“We believe in freedom of expression. We live and work in this community with people from other traditions. We have made efforts to understand their background and cultures. We hope others can understand ours.”

DUP MLA Christopher Stalford welcomed the move as a “positive step”, adding: “I believe it is a good model that will hopefully expand beyond the Ormeau Road. I acknowledge that for some people this protocol may not go far enough but I hope that it will be seen as an attempt to address an issue that was causing concern last year.

“I hope that the terms of the protocol will be adhered to and that people can enjoy the expression of their identity in a peaceable way.”