Willie Frazer wants to set up rival ‘People’s Forum’
EXCLUSIVE: LOYALISTS angry over the removal of Belfast City Hall’s Union flag are to set up a new group to oppose the Unionist Forum.
Belfast Daily can reveal that police monitoring social networking site Facebook picked up the fresh intelligence on Friday night.
It followed an evening of 50 protests across Northern Ireland the majority of which passed off peacefully.
Protestors are furious that Belfast City Council voted to fly the Union flag on only 17 designated days of the year.
A Union flag protest is planned for Saturday lunchtime at Belfast City Hall on Saturday.
The next major protest is now planned for December 27, the day after Boxing Day, as part of its ‘Operation Shutdown’ plan to bring Northern Ireland to a standstill.
Belfast Daily understands that the former FAIR director Willie Frazer is co-ordinating plans to set up a rival to the Unionist Forum, the brainchild of DUP leader Peter Robinson and UUP leader Mike Nesbitt following discussions with UDA leader Jackie McDonald and other groups.
No date has yet been set for the first meeting of the Unionist Forum but already loyalists involved in the flag protest are sceptical that it can deliver for grassroot Protestants.
Belfast Daily has obtained a copy of a message Mr Frazer posted on Friday night to his followers on Facebook urging them to back ‘The People’s Forum
It reads: “Well done to all the areas that protested tonight, once again you have done Ulster proud.
“I would urge you all to get organised in your area and nominate a few people to come along and represent you at “The peoples forum”. (sic)
“Note this is absolutely nothing to do with the DUP or UUPs so called forum of which we have no interest to communicating with at this time.
“This is a true peoples forum, by the people for the people. When it’s been established then the politicians can come and meet us when we will out line what we think is the best way forward and how we wish them to represent us.
“It’s obvious that they simply don’t know what to do at this time. The five senior politicians met yesterday for seven hours and come up with four lines.
“Well, firstly, McGuinnees will have no say in what Loyalism believes to be right or wrong so he shouldn’t even have been involved.
“Secondly. it’s nothing but unbelievable that the DUP and UUP can’t work out what to do, any of us could tell them in an instant what our concerns are.
“I personally feel they will never want to talk to any one from grass roots loyalism simply because they couldn’t answer our questions to them.
” They have got themselves into such a mess with all these “shared space agendas” and so called cross community initiatives that their hands are tied. They cant deliver what most loyalist want.
“At this time their best hope is that we get fed up and simply stop. That wont happen.
“We are demanding, equality, justice and our basic human rights as citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This is non-negotiable.
“Please note I am not in control or leading this. It belongs to the people and everyone is equal.
“I, with others all across Ulster, are merely co-ordinating the project which will give you all a voice, a voice that has been neglected for far to long. More information will be available over the next few days.
“United we stand.”
