Campaigners rally in Belfast against flag unrest

Peace campaigners in Belfast have staged a second rally in as many days to demonstrate their opposition to the recent unrest.

Up to 1,000 people took part in the cross community ‘Peace Gathering’ at the gates of city hall yesterday.

The event concluded with a two-minute ‘no silence’ where participants whistled, shouted, clapped, and played musical instruments.

Organiser Paul Currie, an artist from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, said: “The peaceful silent majority need to be heard too.”

Violence has erupted across the North after Belfast City councillors voted to limit the number of days the union flag is flown.

Loyalists are opposed to any restrictions and have rioted over the issue.

Yesterday’s rally was promoted through social networking sites and went ahead with permission from the PSNI.

“Northern Ireland is about many nationalities and religions, colours and creeds living peacefully together. This is not about a flag, it is about peace and freedom,” Mr Currie said.

Participants of all ages waved banners and played drums but were told not to bring any flags. A number of city councillors from the nationalist SDLP and the non-sectarian Alliance Party were also at the event.

Meanwhile on Saturday, about 200 people linked arms to form a human chain around Belfast City Hall and prayed for five minutes during the vigil.

Church leaders including the former Methodist Church president, Harold Good, who in 2005 oversaw the IRA decommissioning, was among those taking part. He called for the protests over the union flag to stop.

However, a short time later traffic was brought to a standstill, when about 1,000 loyalists waving union flags staged another protest. It passed off peacefully despite concerns from police about the potential for trouble.