Report looks at flag flying controversy

The controversy of flying flags in Northern Ireland needs to be examined in the context which conflicts arise and, if necessary, to transform the context, according to recommendation contained in a report from Queen's University.

The Institute of Irish Studies at Queen's University Belfast has explored the controversy surrounding flags and emblems in Northern Ireland, and in a recent document, authors, Dr Dominic Bryan, Director of the Institute of Irish Studies and Research Fellow Dr Gordon Gillespie, recognised the legitimacy of the need to express cultural identity through the display of flags in celebration and commemoration, but warned that intimidation and the marking of territory was a "significant problem" in Northern Ireland.

Dr Bryan said: “The report, ‘Transforming Conflict: Flags and Emblems’, highlights imaginative projects where local communities have worked with agencies to clean up their environments and transform the context in which displays of flags take place.

"Removal of flags is best undertaken as a collaborative project involving local representatives and agencies.”

The report also pointed to evidence that the majority of people in Northern Ireland believe paramilitary flags should be removed.

(MB/SP)