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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Shaun Keenan

Derry and Strabane Council intervene after 'IRA memorabilia' pictured being sold at Christmas market

A council was forced to step in at a Christmas market after pictures emerged of alleged 'IRA memorabilia' being sold.

It's understood a number of items were being sold at a stall at Derry City and Strabane District's Winterland Market on Saturday, with one DUP MLA saying it has caused "a lot of upset".

Pictures appearing on Foyle MLA Gary Middleton's Facebook page over the weekend shows what appears to be two plaques on display at a stall in Guildhall Square.

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One image shows IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, while the other of IRA Loughgall members. It's not clear whether other similar items were also on display.

The latest incident comes after a similar row broke out over the sale of Parachute Regiment and UVF emblems in the waterside area of the city during an Apprentice Boys march in August.

In a statement to MyDerry, a council spokesperson said that when speaking with the stall seller they "voluntarily" agreed to remove the items.

They said: "While the market stalls do not fall within the scope of the temporary street trading license policy they are subject to a separate market trading agreement.

"Following receipt of a complaint on Saturday, Council officers made contact with the stall holder who voluntarily agreed to remove any items which were considered insensitive."

However, speaking on BBC Radio Foyle Breakfast programme on Monday, DUP MLA Middleton said "it came as a huge shock" to constituents who had contacted him.

"I was speaking with one family yesterday at an event, [and they were] horrified by the fact that they had seen this," the Foyle MLA said.

"They themselves had suffered at the hands of terrorism within their family and if people are attending a market like that, expecting to see Christmas items, and they see this type of memorabilia, it would really traumatise them and cause upset and that's the last thing we want to see."

Meanwhile, the PSNI said that would "liaise with local council to establish if any criminal offences have been committed".

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