Unionist demand meeting over Stormont lilies

Unionists politicians have demanded an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly Commission after the decision to display Easter …

Unionists politicians have demanded an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly Commission after the decision to display Easter lilies at Stormont in commemoration of the 1916 Rising.

Quote
These lilies were there to commemorate those who were blown up by their own bombs or shot while committing terrorist acts.
Unquote
Mr Jim Wells, DUP South Down

After a long and heated debate at Stormont, the Commission, which is responsible for running the building, voted to support an Alliance amendment allowing the display of the traditional republican symbol in the central hall.

The commission is made up of one representative of each of the four major parties, plus Alliance member Mrs Eileen Bell who represents the smaller parties. It is chaired by the Speaker, Lord Alderdice.

Mr Jim Wells (DUP, South Down) claimed the vote was a sham as Mrs Bell (Alliance, North Down) had used her 16 votes on behalf of the smaller parties, which included the smaller dissident unionist groupings.

READ MORE

"I'm absolutely certain that the Northern Ireland Unionists, the United Unionists and the UK Unionists wouldn't have supported it," he said.

Mr Wells intends to approach all the other unionist parties to collect a petition calling for an emergency meeting.

Sinn Féin MLA Dr Dara O'Hagan had put forward the original motion calling for the Easter Lilies to be sold at Stormont on behalf of the National Graves Association, which looks after the republican plot at Milltown Cemetery.

When it was discovered that the association was not a registered charity, Dr O'Hagan called for the lilies to be displayed along with a plaque explaining its work.

After the meeting, the Upper Bann MLA said: "We welcome this compromise to display the lily to commemorate the Easter Rising. It's an important decision for the principle of parity of esteem."

Mr Wells described the lilies as a symbol of terrorism: "These lilies were there to commemorate those who were blown up by their own bombs or shot while committing terrorist acts."

PA