A proposal to fly the Union Flag all year round in the garden of remembrance at Belfast City Hall is to be put through equality screening.
DUP councillor Lee Reynolds made the proposal at a meeting of Belfast City Council last month after the council had voted to remove the flag from City Hall’s main flagpole on all but a few days of the year.
Belfast City Council’s joint group of the party leaders’ forum discussed the proposal on December 10.
They considered advice from the Equality Commission and the consultant who had undertaken the equality impact assessment on flying the flag from City Hall.
The group agreed that since the proposed policy had not formed part of the original EQIA, the council should undertake an equality screening process of the proposed policy.
According to minutes of a meeting of the council’s strategic policy and resources committee on Friday, December 14, this screening process will include scoping the policy to ensure that the aims and objectives were fully developed, and undertaking appropriate consultations with those organisations and individuals who might be affected by the new proposal.
A report from this process is due to be submitted to the joint diversity group in the council later this month.
A series of protests have been taking place since Belfast City Council voted at the start of December to remove the flag from City Hall. It will now fly only on statutory days.
It was also removed completely from the Ulster Hall and council offices at Duncrue where it was flying on statutory days.
Protests are set to continue into the New Year. A mass lantern release was planned for midnight last night while every Saturday lunchtime a protest will take place at Belfast City Hall.
Meanwhile, flag protesters have vowed to stage a demonstration outside the Irish Parliament, demanding the removal of the tricolour.
Victims’ campaigner William Frazer said protesters objected to comments by Taoiseach Enda Kenny recently about a review into the investigation of the murder of lawyer Pat Finucane.
“We are going to hold a small, peaceful protest in Dublin and it’s not solely about the flags issue,” said Mr Frazer.
“It’s also about the Irish government’s interference with inquiries here.
“Enda Kenny needs to keep his nose out of our affairs.
“We understand that people may be upset that we are coming down to ask that their country’s flag be removed, but perhaps they will understand what it has been like for us.”
Just before 6pm on Monday police asked motorists to avoid the Square in Ballyclare due to a protest. At 6.35pm they said the road was clear for traffic.