THE DUP has said it wants to see all flags supporting paramilitaries removed after concerns were raised about UVF flags erected in cross-community housing developments in Belfast.
Paramilitary and other loyalist flags were put up in the Global Crescent and Cantrell Close ‘shared neighbourhoods' earlier this month.
Two flags have been hung from the majority of lampposts in the area, which is close to Ravenhill Avenue and Woodstock Road.
Global Crescent is a £13m development built by Fold Housing, now known as Radius Housing, as part of the Stormont Executive's Together Building United Communities strategy and was opened in 2015.
Some local people believe the appearance of the flags is part of an attempt by the UVF to "stamp their authority" in the area.
A spokesman for the DUP yesterday condemned paramilitary flags without referring specifically to those erected in the shared developments.
"Paramilitaries are a plague on society,” he said.
“The DUP condemns all those who cling to criminality and violence.
“Flags or any other emblems supporting paramilitaries have no place in our communities. We want to have them all removed."
New DUP South Belfast MP Emma Little-Pengelly also tweeted on Saturday that she had met with the housing association the previous day and "will be speaking to as many residents as possible Monday".
One resident, who did not want to be named, previously said: “I respect this is an important time of the year for a lot of people but this can be celebrated without creating fear or causing intimidation.”
Alliance Party MLA Stephen Farry said many people feel intimidated by paramilitary flags, which was "about marking territory".
"It is often assumed there is support in the community where the flags fly. We find that very often that's not the case and people feel almost powerless in terms of speaking out individually for fear of intimidation and they come to our offices."
He dismissed suggestions from some loyalists that UVF flags were intended to pay tribute to the historical organisation of the same name.
"The use of the 1912 reference, the historical reference, is frankly just a loophole to get around the law as it currently stands," he said.
"The people who fought in the First World War in terms of the Ulster Division were fighting for freedom, they were fighting for people to live free from fear in their communities."
The PSNI has said the issues of flags is not only an issue for police.
“Police action on its own is not sufficient - we all need to work together."
