THE Kernan Flag Association has refuted a claim made by a resident that a deal struck last summer to ease public concern about the annual erection of unionist flags in the area has been broken.
A member of the association, which was established at the beginning of the year to “control and manage” flag numbers, contacted the Portadown Times to say that they had been left “disappointed and frustrated” by the Kernan resident’s comments.
In
last week’s paper the resident had asserted that “hundreds of loyalist and Union Flags have been placed at the top of every lamppost without permission” in the area – despite an agreement that flags would not be erected until after schools had closed for the holidays.
As part of the deal it was also agreed that the flags would be removed at the end of July.
denies
However, the Kernan Flag Association member, who did not wish to be named, strenuously denies that the deal has been broken and maintains that the organisation has kept “fully within the guidelines of the agreement reached last year”.
The member explained, “The Kernan Flag Association was set up to erect the flags in a dignified and respectful manner and to defend our British way of life in the Kernan area.”
Responding to the resident’s claim that ‘hundreds’ of flags had gone up in the area, the member described the statement as “completely false – there is a total of 48 flags currently being flown around Kernan”.
The member continued, “We also read with amazement about how this unknown resident stated that there were flags erected directly outside the integrated school and the hospital. We would like to tell this person that they had better have a closer look as we have put no flags directly outside the school and the lamppost leading up to the hospital.”
feedback
The member added that the association believed that the “majority in Kernan want the flags to be flown”.
“We have had great feedback and praise from the local community about how well the flags make Kernan look. We had also numerous people stopping to tell us, when we were erecting the flags, what a good job we were doing,” the member explained.
The member added that the association was aware that a number of lampposts in the area have been painted red, white and blue over the past week, but was encouraging youths to refrain from the activity as it “downgrades the local area and serves no purpose”.
“Lastly we would like to say that we will not back down. There will be no more compromises. Our country’s flag will be flown in Kernan year after year – we have a right to fly our country’s flag,” the member said.
Text us your views on the flag issue to 81800, starting your message with PTTEXT and then a space.
