Statement by TUV East Antrim spokesperson Norman Boyd:
“Saturday was the only major event to celebrate the centenary of Northern Ireland. The huge public attendance both of members of those parading and onlookers demonstrated beyond doubt that there is an enormous number of people who want to celebrate Northern Ireland’s continuing place in the United Kingdom. Small wonder because this is the place we proudly call home. Northern Ireland has produced leaders in industry, medicine, the arts and many sporting greats. We have cause to salute those who served with honour in the security forces while facing down the terrorist threat which has beset us since Northern Ireland’s inception. We remember with honour those who plaid the supreme sacrifice and preserved our right to self-determination. All this and more was bound up in the celebration on Saturday.
“It is nothing short of shameful that an event which attracted over 100,000 people received such scant attention from the BBC which laughably claims to be a public service broadcaster. In the days leading up to the parade, the BBC seemed only interested in the alleged problems the parade would cause for people who wanted to visit Belfast for other reasons. A few days before the event for example they ran a story on their website headed “Belfast retailers to close early ahead of centennial parade”. One will look in vain for any mention of the fact that one couldn’t find a hotel room in Belfast last weekend because they had all been booked up by people coming to see the parade.
“While the BBC was happy to give wall to wall coverage to a service last year which supposedly marked the centenary while barely managing to mention the words Northern Ireland and one of their headlines after the event was given to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh lamenting the supposed evils of Northern Ireland ever being created, the massive display on Saturday merited nothing more than a couple of minutes on the evening news – no attempt to do justice to the colour, music and pageantry of the day or attempt to reflect on why so many people love our country.
“The coverage was woefully inadequate. In fact, I would go further. It was shameful a dereliction of duty particularly when one remembers there will have been many people who because of age or infirmity couldn’t make it to Belfast who would have loved to have been there.”