Controversial UVF Mural Completed

A new paramilitary mural has been completed in east Belfast, despite a public outcry.

The mural, which is located at Inverwood Court, Sydenham, depicts a masked gunman and it dedicated to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), which murdered more than 500 people during the Troubles. It replaced a mural of the Belfast-born footballer George Best.

Earlier this month, work was stopped on the mural due to objections, but it has now been revealed that it has been completed.

Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle said the completion of the mural only succeeds in glorifying violence.

He said: "The completion of this mural casts a sinister shadow over everything that is positive in East Belfast.

"It is unacceptable that an image which once depicted the world-class talent of George Best has now been replaced by a paramilitary gunman.

"Political representatives have rightly condemned the glorification of terrorism in recent weeks, and must be united and clear in the rejection of all murals of this kind – if we are to build a safe and inclusive society for everyone in Northern Ireland.

"There is much to learn from the peaceful activism of Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who dedicated his life to non-violence and integration, but the placement of this quote alongside a masked gunman is perverse beyond belief.

"This mural is anti-civil rights and anti-East Belfast and should be replaced immediately."

The George Best mural was erected in 2010 with the help of £1,500 in public funds.

The money was allocated by Belfast City Council as part of its PEACE III project, 'Tackling the Physical Manifestations of Sectarianism'.

Earlier this month, the council said it had been "unaware of any plans" to replace the football mural.

(JP/CD)