Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kinahan has called on politicians and community leaders in Crumlin to work together to ensure this year’s Twelfth celebrations go ahead in a spirit of celebration and tolerance that respects the rights of all parties.
Mr Kinahan said:
“As a former local councillor for the area and as the MLA for South Antrim, I have a great regard for Crumlin and its people, and I am confident that with good will and common sense, any local difficulties can be resolved.
I am however concerned that in spite of all the talk of a shared future it would seem that some people still believe they can withhold rights from some sections of our society.
It is curious that in the same week where a former IRA commander like Martin McGuinness is prepared to meet Her Majesty the Queen, some nationalists in Crumlin seem unwilling to show tolerance and respect to the minority Protestant community in the town.
I want to see a genuinely shared future in Crumlin, the rest of South Antrim and the whole of Northern Ireland. The Orange Institution is a part of that future and they are entitled to celebrate their culture and to take their place in society.
Ideally I would like to see the Twelfth day becoming a day of festivity with shops open and traders participating in a major event and benefitting from a large influx of people to the town. I would call upon all politicians and community leaders in the area to work to this end.”
-ENDS-