Festive ‘Derry’ billboard taken down after unionist outcry

COUNCIL executives have been forced to remove Christmas billboards erected in Derry after unionist politicians objected to them.

The billboards, which said: ‘Have yourself a Derry little Christmas’ were placed in both the unionist Waterside and nationalist Bogside areas of the city.

Unionist politicians insisted that the logo was not inclusive to all members of the community.

Deputy mayor Derek Hussey raised complaints about the campaign, which was launched by Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Now a number of other unionist politicians have complained about the posters.

A council spokesman said they had not received any complaints about the billboards, but did receive approaches from some councillors.

A statement said: ‘The campaign intended to engage visitors with a catchy slogan using the tagline, “Have yourself a Derry little Christmas”.

‘However, some council members have highlighted that this may not be considered inclusive by all members of the community and, as such, has been amended in some campaign branding.

‘As with all our marketing activities, we welcome feedback. The billboard in Spencer Road has been refreshed slightly earlier than planned to reflect members’ concerns,’ the statement said.