Government funds Loyalist garden

[Minder]

The Department of Social Development has part-funded a "garden of reflection" in Bangor in which loyalist paramilitaries are honoured.
The project in the Kilcooley estate is linked to the removal of loyalist murals and graffiti in the town.
Three black stones bear the names of a paramilitary group and the names of paramilitaries killed in the Troubles.
A DSD spokesman said the funds had been distributed by the Housing Executive under a neighbourhood renewal project.
It is not yet known how much funding was allocated to the project.
Alliance Party assembly member Stephen Farry said he had written a letter of complaint to Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie about the "glorification of terrorism".
"She has been very clear in her support for a shared future - if DSD have funded this, it's the very antithesis of a shared future and serious questions have to be asked.
Local community worker Mark Gordon said he appreciated some people may have concerns but the garden was open to everyone.
"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," he said.
"Why is it that when loyalists within this community choose to honour their dead that suddenly there's an uproar?"
In 2007, Ms Ritchie set a 60-day ultimatum for the UDA to decommission its weapons after shots were fired at police during rioting in the Kilcooley estate.
When the deadline passed, she withdrew £1m in funding from a project aimed at transforming loyalist areas. A High Court judge later quashed her decision because she had not followed proper procedures.

[tyronefan]

I guess they are only withdrawing funding to anything named after nationalist freedom fighters

[Doogie Browser]

The grass is not always greener...

[orangeman]

I guess they are only withdrawing funding to anything named after nationalist freedom fighters

Good old British government have given Nelson a quare auld kick in the stones with this announcement.

[nifan]

"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," he said.
"Why is it that when loyalists within this community choose to honour their dead that suddenly there's an uproar?"

Very hypocritical.

[Lecale2]

"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," he said.
"Why is it that when loyalists within this community choose to honour their dead that suddenly there's an uproar?"

I think there's an uproar because the Govt paid for the memorial garden!

[nifan]

I think there's an uproar because the Govt paid for the memorial garden!

Im saying the loyalist side is hypocritical.
Im sure that guy not many in the area would be happy with people calling the IRA freedom fighters.