Call for removal of Sands shrine
THE Housing Executive has been criticised after a republican memorial erected in Fermanagh earlier this year has been allowed to remain.
The monument, in memory of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, first appeared in September in Newtownbutler.
Sands was elected as MP in the constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone in 1981, shortly before he died on hunger strike in the now closed Maze prison.
Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott said local people are “outraged” by the memorial and called on the Housing Executive to remove it.
“When this monument was first erected I called upon the Housing Executive, which owns the land it is built upon, to have it removed as soon as possible,” he said.
“I recently made inquiries regarding what progress had been made, only to be informed that discussions were still ongoing between the Department of Social Development, the Department of the Environment and local groups.
“So realistically, here we are now almost three months further on from when this highly offensive monument appeared and little or no progress has been made concerning its removal.
“Understandably, many local people, including a number who lost family members and friends in IRA murders, are rightly outraged that they still have to drive past this eyesore when it should have been removed long ago.
“This is why I am reiterating my call for it to be removed as soon as possible and trust that minister Ritchie and minister Poots will hasten to bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion.”
In response to an Assembly question from Mr Elliott on what action had been taken to remove the memorial, the Department of the Environment said: “Discussions are continuing with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to establish the potential to resolve the matter locally to the satisfaction of all.”
The NIHE said: “The whole issue of memorials is both sensitive and highly emotive whether in Newtownbutler or elsewhere. From our discussions with locally elected representatives in Newtownbutler, it is clear there is still much to do to improve community relations in the area. We have been trying to deal sensitively with the issue locally, but we believe it is unrealistic to attempt to remove the memorial without local agreement.”
