Don’t flout Covid rules at bonfires: plea
DUP MP says only 30 can gather at any single pyre
DUP has warned that public safety at bonfires and parades must come first ahead of the July 12 celebrations.
East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson appealed for those building loyalist bonfires to behave responsibly.
Work restarted at sites over the last week with wooden pallets being gathered.
Those sites include Pitt Park on the lower Newtownards Road, Lismore Street and Orangefield Park, all within Mr Robinson’s constituency.
Last month a number of these sites were cleared following agreement between bonfire builders and Belfast City Council to call off the planned pyres. Pallets had also appeared at a former bonfire site at the Bloomfield Walkway over the weekend, but have since been removed.
Some within loyalism have issued guidance suggesting any bonfires should be “small and localised”.
But Mr Robinson warned that bonfires by their nature “require people to congregate”.
“This cannot be ignored and anyone contemplating holding such a bonfire should be conscious their actions could put people’s health at risk, but also put them at risk of being considered no different to those who flouted the rules previously,” he said.
“We must be clear that outdoor gatherings of more than 30 people are against the regulathe tions and should not take place. Celebrations can continue, but they must do only where they can take place safely and within both the regulations and guidance.”
He added: “Republicans will not be to blame should there be breaches of Covid-19 regulations during any July 12 celebration.
“It will not be a defence or justification to say: ‘Well, they did it too’. Indeed, having stood with the vast majority people from all shades of political opinion in criticising the Deputy First Minister (Michelle O’neill) and other Sinn Fein representatives, there is an even greater responsibility upon us now to demonstrate that two wrongs do not make a right.”
This year the Orange Order cancelled its parades amid the coronavirus pandemic, and instead encouraged supporters to celebrate at home.
DUP MLA Pam Cameron has called for safe celebrations within the coronavirus regulations, which state that no more than 30 people should gather outdoors.
“Spectators should not follow bands around their short routes. Restrictions on outdoor gatherings should still be adhered to,” she said.