Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“I was pleased to be able to attend the launch of the Orange Order’s Moving Tributes exhibition this morning to mark Orange Victims’ Day. The large collection of banners, bannerets and drums was a fitting tribute to the 339 Orangemen and one Orangewoman who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the recent terrorist campaign.
“The work of the Loyal Orders in preserving the memory of those who were murdered both by way of objects like those currently displayed in Brownlow House and in numerous plaques in halls across Northern Ireland is an invaluable contribution to combating efforts of those who seek to whitewash terror.
“As today is the anniversary of the Tullyvallen massacre, which resulted in the murder of five Orangemen by the IRA, it was a fitting date to launch an exhibition of this nature. The banners and informative information booklet telling the stories behind them is an unanswerable rebuttal of those who would claim that there was “no alternative” to Republican terror. Those who attend will learn the reality. It amounted to the indiscriminate slaughter of upstanding members of society whose only “crime” was to serve in the security forces or the place of worship they attended.
“I would encourage the public to avail of the opportunity to view this unique exhibition before it closes on Saturday.”