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The people who are putting the flags up, and the people who could, potentially, create community tension if the flags come down. Those are the people whom the Members on your Benches are siding with. I want to see the power taken back from those people so that we can take those offensive, intimidatory flags down and…
It tells me that there are people who have a veto over our communities and that they are the only ones who have any power. It is about time that we, as a civilised democracy, took that power back.
I thank the Member for giving way. As you will recall from my opening remarks, there have been approximately 600 — I think that the figure is 604 — requests for advice from the PSNI over the past four years, and zero flags have come down off the back of those requests.
That is exactly what clause 6 would do. It states: "The Department may request assistance from the Police Service of Northern Ireland in removing a flag or emblem if the Department is of the opinion that, in removing the flag or emblem there may arise— (a) a breach of the peace, or (b) an offence under section 5." The…
The Member for East Antrim's point exemplifies another problem, which is that the way in which the Bill is drafted means that the onus is on the Minister for Infrastructure to act. I do not mean to be disparaging to the Minister, but, with respect, given her track record on the issue at the Egyptian Arch in her…
Absolutely. I wholeheartedly agree with the Member for East Antrim. That is exactly why I am concerned about the Bill and the chilling effect that it will have on, I —
I thank the Member for giving way. She makes some really valid points. We have seen in the past couple of weeks that, because of threats to their safety, even prison officers are not able to go into some areas. Do we really believe that we will see a situation in which we send in hard-working DFI staff, potentially…
I thank the Member for his intervention. He touches on very important points. I have done a very good job of promoting the good community relations that we have in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, but there are areas of the constituency where, as I have pointed out, terrorist flags — republican flags — that I deem to be…
He apologises, although I am sure that he will watch back my contribution. I talked about my constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, where such issues are resolved through community dialogue and people working together, without even the input of political representatives.
I thank the Member for giving way on that point. One thing that strikes me about the Bill is that there is a reliance on the PSNI to carry that out, but no consideration is given to the civil disobedience that will be caused by doing it. I have not been in the Chamber for much of today's debate, but I have been…
The Member has repeatedly made the point about people who put up such things under the cover of darkness. Would the Bill not present an opportunity to the organisations that take such pride in the flying of the flag? I think that the intent of the Bill is to allow for that pride in the flag and that expression. There…
The Member's point about places of worship is interesting. I do not see anything in the Bill that suggests that a person who complains about a flag outside a place of worship would have to be a member of that congregation or place of worship. Anyone who passed by that flag and deemed it inappropriate could complain…