Union flag flies at Belfast City Hall
The Union flag is flying at Belfast City Hall for the first time since the council voted to limit it to designated days.
It was erected on Wednesday morning to mark the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday, one of the 18 occasions during the year when it is allowed to fly.
The decision to take the flag down last month was followed by protests and violence across Northern Ireland, with a sixth consecutive night of trouble flaring in east Belfast on Tuesday.
Petrol bombs, fireworks, bricks and other missiles were thrown at police lines by loyalist rioters on the Lower Newtownards Road.
A total of 66 officers have been hurt and 104 arrests made since the protests began.
The first meeting of the new Unionist Forum, which calls for representatives to come together in a bid to end the unrest, is to take place on Thursday.
First Minister Peter Robinson said that the ongoing disorder is “very damaging” to Northern Ireland’s reputation around the world.
“We’ve worked for a very long period of time to overcome the image of Northern Ireland as a place where there is violence and instability,” the DUP leader told UTV.
“Already we have had investors, both people who have invested and people who were about to invest asking questions, and we are having to give reassurances to them.
“It’s bad for our image, it is bad for our opportunities to bring jobs to Northern Ireland, and that ultimately means that it is bad for ordinary people on the ground who will not have the opportunity to work in those jobs that could have been created.”
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned that jobs could be lost if a solution is not found quickly, as many businesses including restaurants continue to suffer.
CBI Northern Ireland director Nigel Smyth said: “We are already aware of investors who have lost interest because of these disruptions.”
Meanwhile the UUP leader, Mike Nesbitt, said he is disappointed that the flag is not also flying from Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
“It is a ridiculous situation that the Union flag is being flown at full mast from Belfast City Hall today, but not at Stormont, because there is more than one, agreed list of designated days,” said the Strangford MLA.
“It appears Belfast City Hall goes with the designated day list published by the Department of Culture Media and Sport in London, which offers 18 Designated Days for Northern Ireland, while Stormont is governed by the list in the Flags Regulation Order of 2000.
“This had 17 days, but with the deaths of the Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and The Princess Margaret, we are down to 15 days.
“I have raised this issue with the Secretary of State’s Office, and am seeking a meeting with Theresa Villiers to ask her to address this inconsistency.”
Further protests have been organised for later in the week and the weekend.
