The son of a man shot dead on Bloody Sunday has said the sale of Parachute Regiment flags at a parade in Derry over the weekend has 'setback community relations'.
The chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust, Tony Doherty, said that the organiser of the event, the Apprentice Boys of Derry, had to "take responsibility for all that happens".
The controversy comes after a stall on the Glendermott Road in the city was pictured allegedly selling several flags, including those with Parachute Regiment and UVF emblems.
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Meanwhile, the PSNI confirmed that a number of items had been seized at the stall, adding that an investigation had been launched to determine whether a criminal offence had been committed. It's understood that no flags were seized by police.
Governor of the Apprentice Boys Graeme Stenhouse said that the stall "was not associated with the organisation”. He said: "We encourage good behaviour by all participants. It is regrettable that there has been something that is maybe going to dissuade away from what a successful day we had.
"But we will meet with relatives of the Bloody Sunday Trust and we will discuss things with them. But I don’t want anything to take away from excellent work that has been done in the past.”
However, Mr Doherty, whose father Patrick was killed by a member of the Parachute Regiment on Bloody Sunday, said this sort of action 'should have been anticipated'.
"This is an issue that clearly isn't going to go away, and we said this the last time, and the Apprentice Boys [of Derry] need to face up to the fact that they need to take effective action in future," he told BBC Radio Foyle's Breakfast programme.
"I don't think anybody like the idea, to put mildly that there are para flags displayed in various parts of the city on an ongoing basis. Many of the families to continue to register their annoyance that this type of event happens on a daily basis.
"It is completely understandable that I think when the families see this type of thing happening feel personally insulted by it, and that's the feeling in this context.
"I would like to appeal to community leaders and church leaders in those areas if they could try and do something to remove these flags because they are insulting on a daily basis.
"[The Bloody Sunday Trust] intend on meeting with the police to get their view on what happened. We will be seeking a meeting with the Apprentice Boys to have this matter clarified and have our point of view put across that any display of Solider F or Parachute regalia is not acceptable."
The Mayor of Derry, councillor Sandra Duffy, said: “The sale of British Army parachute regiment flags in Derry over the weekend was deeply offensive, particularly in a city that has felt deep hurt at the hands of this regiment.
“My first thoughts are with the Bloody Sunday families who have been retraumatised by this unnecessary act. I will continue to stand with them in their 50-year-long campaign for truth and justice.”
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