Loyalist demonstrators burn two Irish tricolours at Belfast flag protest

The protesters are disillusioned? Right. The PUP represents no one but their terrorist paramilitary. No MLA's, No MP's and only 2 out of almost 600 council members. The PUP is front for murderers only. Dawn Purvis saw it and quit.

seanomelb- Get a grip on reality son.

@citizen6669 - "It's hardly going to endear itself to Loyalists then!" The same loyalists who immediately began to ethnically cleanse the indigenous population shortly after the creation of their artificials little statelet?

Citizen69. Yet today we have another admission that the Catholic population was victimised by the state with the help of loyalists death squads. I didn`t make this up in an effort to be seen as part of a victim culture.

Citizen69!! your maudling retort ignores the treatment of nationalists in the north under British rule. In fact Britain turned its back on the second class status nationalists lived. Your answers smacks of typical Btitish attitudes toward the nationalist and the Irish in general.

@IrelandNorth: You ask "What problem do they have with an emblem which espouses peace between Ireland's two main tradition". Let me try to answer that for you. The original intention of the flag may well have been espousing to peace between green & orange but that's not how many Unionists see it. It is the official flag of the Irish Republic. A state that facilitated, sponsored and encouraged attacks on Northern Ireland from the day of the North's founding, from Michael Collins up through to the 1980's. The Free State/Eire/Republic of Ireland historically gave safe harbour to those that committed Republican atrocities in NI, claimed the north's territory as it's own and claimed it had no right to exist. It's hardly going to endear itself to Loyalists then! It is seen by them as an IRA flag. If you can understand why many Republicans hate the Union flag then you should also be able to understand why Loyalists hold the tricolour in similar regard. I hope this helps answer your question. Having said that, i personally have no problem with the flag and would condemn anyone who would disrespect the flag of any nation.

@Seamus60: In all of the reports i have read the portrait was burned on the bonfire. In an interview with the dean of the cathedral himself, the Rev. William Morton expressed his outrage at the burning of the Bishop's portrait, so obviously he didn't recall any good samaritans from the INLA handing it back. Anyway, the point of my initial post is that many nationalists (plenty to be found on this site)would rather get all high & mighty about loyalist sectarianism or hark back 100 or 800 years to previous Irish oppressions for excuses rather than acknowledge any sectarianism from their own community or accept any responsibility for their contributions that led to conflict. They like to have exclusivity on victimization. It's in their interests to present everything in black & white... one side good, one side evil. It's the very same with this website's prejudiced reporting. Did you read one line on I.C. reporting any of this week's stories i highlighted in my initial post? Or anything about the two Unionist politicians who received death threats this week? If it were Nationalist politicians who were threatened by Loyalists do you think you would hear about it here? Damn right you would. Don't believe your own hype.

The Republic of Ireland is as much the Irish Republic as Northern Ireland is Ulster! There were no union jacks burnt in the capitol cities of Ireland's three other provinces: ie Cork (Munster/southern Ireland) - Dublin (Leinster/eastern Ireland) and/or Galway (Connacht/western Ireland) as tricolors were in Belfast (Ulster/Northern Ireland). Not even in the Irish capitol! What problem do they have with an emblem which espouses peace between Ireland's two main tradition, whilst flaunting one which represses the intra-nationalities of others?

Curtisjohnson dont forget the seven centuries before when the language and culture of Ireland was banned, the people were starved and enslaved. The poor little unionists must be feeling a little threatened!! But at least they are not being tried in Diplock courts or being interned without trial.

" Republicans have a numerical majority in the Belfast Council - their vote is symptomatic of wanton majoritarian rule." Ok - so the indigenous population, who has been forced to live under the boot of an ochlocratic supremacist statelet for the last 9 decades, must be sensitive to the supremacist's feelings even what they're doing is perfectly legitimate and democratic - right.

Torytory carried the torch but he gave to a fellow traveller to light the fire. I'm aamazed at his sentence "Sinn Fein bullied a unionist minority". A bit rich don't you think Tory my man.

Citizen69. I have also said that the use of baton rounds against anyone is not on. They are lethel force as proven with the lives of many men woman and children. Look at Ardoyne and compare it with this spate of violence and the differance in reaction from the RUC is transparent. As for that painting the INLA retrieved it and gave it back. The bonfire, one of 4 when previously there was always around 4 times that had to do with your beloved flag. But we won`t get all hot and bothered over one or two of either flag when my irigional post was making just that point. No need for a big headline over the burning of any 2 flags. There you`ll feel better now.

I resent paying my taxes for this lot to strut their stuff in their little theme park of Britishness. How many have jobs? How many have jobs that are not fake jobs in the public sector. Why should the hard-pressed UK taxpayer keep handing over money to them just because their hardman politicians keep strong-arming our lily-livered ones? What is the benefit to Britain to keep NI in the Union? Why, when America, Australia, Canada, NZ etc. threw off the shackles of being ruled by London, this lot is unable to do anything but put their hand out for more taxpayers money? Stand on your own two feet NI, or emigrate and find a job, just like everyone else in Ireland is having to do!

Don't involve the Irish Republic in it. We are not interested!

You go citizen!