AN illegal Union flag and flag pole which was erected at a roundabout at The Diamond Area of Magherafelt, was last night cut down.
The British Truth Forum have claimed responsibility for erecting the unsanctioned flag early yesterday (Wednesday) morning.
Video footage has been circulating on social media showing a group of men wearing high visibility vests dismantling the flag pole using an angle grinder. Watch video here
Last year the Mid Ulster District Council voted that the Union flag, which has flown for over 70 years in the town centre, be removed as part of the £1.9 million Public Realm Scheme revamp. The decision at that time was met by resentment by the unionist community in Magherafelt.
However Mr William Lennox of The British Truth Forum has claimed that at the time, an alleged deal was made over the flag and a planned war cenotaph.
The Mid Ulster Council has granted planning permission for a £46,000 public artwork piece, designed by local children and community groups, to be erected on the roundabout on which the flag had been erected.
A spokeswoman for Mid Ulster District Council has said: “The council will seek to resolve the issue of the unauthorised structure at the location.”
PSNI superintendent Mike Baird said officers responded to reports of a number of people ‘acting suspiciously’ in the Diamond.
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Loyal activist Jamie Bryson has also weighed into the controversial flag issue. He posted this message on twitter;
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Meanwhile TUV’s Jim Allister described the removal of the flag as a ‘hate crime’.