Flags erected around Ballymacarrett playground

Posted by Jim on March 30, 2026

Northern Ireland

More flags appear in area where Belfast Council contractors removed them previously.

Flags had been removed in line with new Council policy.

Flags erected around Ballymacarrett playground in east Belfast, including one with a ‘stop the boats’ message.

By John Breslin

March 29, 2026 at 4:27pm BST

More flags have appeared in the area around an east Belfast playground where City Council contractors had removed previous banners.

Belfast City Council used the contractors to remove the Union and other flags from the park in the Ballymacarrett area of the city recently. However they were quickly replaced and threatening graffiti appeared.

It now appears a yet more flags have appeared, with two or three on some lampposts.

The graffiti on a wall close to the Severn Street park had warned ‘Anyone who touches these flags does so at their own risk’.

The flags now on the poles include ones that are religious-themed but also with a ‘stop the boats’ message.

Following the previous removal of the flags, the council confirmed outside contractors were used.

Their removal followed a meeting in December when it was decided to carry out an “audit” of flags and banners in line with a “commitment to creating a good and harmonious environment”.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in east Belfast, a UVF mural at the corner of Dee Street and Newtownards Road has been removed with the reported approval of loyalists in the area.

The mural, on the gable wall since 2011, featured two hooded gunmen. It was be replaced by one of Edward Carson, the early 20th century unionist leader.