Communities across Northern Ireland cannot continue to “be held to ransom by the presence of some flags, emblems and banners”, the Assembly has heard.
It came as Alliance representatives called for urgent action from the first and deputy first ministers on the matter.
A motion debated by MLAs on Tuesday heard calls for the ministers to urgently develop a consultation on how “lawful authority may be provided” to deal with the display of flags, emblems and banners from public property in the north.
Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw, who proposed the motion, said: “We want to get to the stage where flags and emblems are displayed in public spaces for purposes of commemoration or celebration; to do that, we need to provide lawful authority for their display based, quite reasonably, on establishment of their purpose and assurance of their removal at the end of the relevant timeframe.
“To be clear, this will mean people will have to live with flags and emblems which they do not particularly want, but at least it will be with clear authorisation and for a clearly defined period.
“That is the nature of diversity.
“There is one particular added advantage for providing lawful authority for the display of flags and emblems, and that is that it would then establish plainly and without doubt where such lawful authority does not exist.”
Ms Bradshaw added: “Continuing to allow people to head out under cover of darkness – or, sometimes, more brazenly in broad daylight – to deface public property with flags and emblems designed to instil fear and reinforce control of communities while the police turn a blind eye is not an option”.
UUP leader Doug Beattie told the chamber he believed there “should be no flags of any kind whatsoever to paramilitaries - none at all” adding he supported flags not being flown around buildings of public services.
Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney said a “zero tolerance position” on flags was needed both “within these institutions and wider society”, while DUP assembly member Brian Kingston said there was a “need to clarify the roles of the various public authorities whether that is DfI, local councils of the PSNI” in dealing with the issues of flags.
DUP deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly said it was a “challenging and difficult issue” adding “there are things that we do not agree on”...”but you will not find consensus on every issue”.
The motion was carried by 49 votes to 31.
