Willie Frazer: There is very little inclusive about West Belfast Feile

Over the weekend footage emerged of teenagers singing along to and chanting pro IRA slogans as the republicans' folk band '˜The Wolfe Tones' played at the West Belfast Feile.
LettersLetters
Letters

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and Tourism Northern Ireland are major funders of the event.

We have been drawn in all week by debate and equality, then as predicted the festival reached its conclusion with a rebel-fest in West Belfast.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It has become an annual event, liquored up youngsters wilfully cheering as Provo songs are belted out.

Surely the Arts Council along with Belfast City Council must now realise that they have been conned into funding republican propaganda? When will the penny drop?

Tricolours with PIRA scrawled across them, ‘Oooh, Ahh, up the Ra’ proudly chanted while others sing of their hatred for the British army?

Come on, there is very little inclusive about this festival. Many young people are conditioned and warped by Sinn Fein’s continual glorification of terror. Any right thinking moral society would be outraged, and rightly so, hearing young people sing and cheer with support for a terrorist organisation.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Perhaps we need to have a debate around what the IRA did, lets highlight Kingsmills, Darkley and Tullyvallen — not economic targets, not military targets, not legitimate targets — then show me the heroics?

Show me the struggle for a united Ireland and I’ll show you cold blooded sectarian ethnic cleansing.

It is about time bitter republican youth faced the reality of what the IRA stood for.

William Frazer, Co Armagh