McGuinness met with flag protesters

Published Monday, 28 January 2013

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness revealed to the Assembly on Monday that he has met with flag protesters.

Police use water cannon in east Belfast after they come under attack. (© Pacemaker)

Loyalist street protests first began in early December after Belfast City Council passed a vote to change the flying of the Union Flag at the historic City Hall building to designated days only.

The disorder sparked by the decision was top of the agenda during OFMDFM questions.

The veteran Sinn Féin politician was asked what help the Assembly was providing to traders, and what efforts were underway to get the dispute resolved.

The SDLP's Alban Maginness put it to the First Minister: "Apart from the financial support and the moral support, isn't it necessary in the present circumstances for the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to publicly and visibly work together in order to calm the situation, to condemn violence and to condemn illegal protests."

In reply, deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness made a startling revelation.

"Over two weeks ago I met, and this may come as a surprise to some people in this house, I met with some people who were involved in the protests and I also met with some people who I believed could influence the ending of violence on the streets," he told the floor.

"And I know that the First Minister is also as equally committed to ensuring an end to the violence in the streets as I am or any other member of this house."

UTV's political correspondent Tracey Magee said that it was surprising due to his position as a Sinn Féin minister, but also because protesters had been "particularly vitriolic" about his party.

"But he wanted to make it plain that he wanted to do everything to bring the flags dispute to an end. And, interestingly he said that he would be willing to meet with flag protesters from the Waterside area of Derry."

Comments

9 Comments

william in coleraine wrote (141 days ago):

ryan has actualy made some sense there,

seamus60 in Derry wrote (142 days ago):

Big deal, he has met with people that are no strangers to meeting him. He will now no doubt ensure thst loyalist paramillitaries get some crumbs off the table that feeds him so well.

Derek Ferguson in Belfast wrote (142 days ago):

Total joke i would not Trust a TERRORIST LIKE Marty

Who are the people he met nobody seems to KNOW!!!!!

Ryan in Belfast wrote (142 days ago):

It just shows how out of touch the leadership of unionism is with unionists on the ground, when it is SINN FEIN and Martin McGuinness meeting with loyalist protestors in order to get a solution to these protests. Peter Robinson was asked by Martin McGuinness to stand together publically to find a solution togetherr to thesse protests and that obviously hasnt happened. To me, a Nationalist, it seems the leaders of Unionism know that their unionist followers dread SF and will vote DUP/UUP no matter what happens, regardless if the unionist community gets proper funding, housing, etc so, in short, the leaders of unionism is basically taking their voters for granted. All this talk about "protestants being 2nd class citizens" isnt SF's fault, its not the DUP/UUP and their lack of engagement with their own community. I mean, you just have to look att the DUP/UUP's policy, their conservative, what do normal hardworking unionists expect? Conservativism has always looked after the elite. While SF/SDLP on the other hand are socialist, the working class comes first. The only unionist party to see this is the PUP, who have a socialist leaning policy themselves. So if Unionists are complaining about DUP/UUP, stop voting DUP/UUP. If SF/SDLP was treating the nationalist community like this (which their not) we'd be down on them like a ton of bricks (not by rioting, violence, etc but by holding them to account). Even willie frazer says "The republicans get everthing for their communities, our politicans (unionists) dont give two stuffs about us".

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