The British Parachute Regiment flag
This weekened is the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday when 14 unarmed civilians were shot dead by British soldiers on the streets of Derry.
Said Ms McLaughlin: “The emergence of Parachute Regiment flags in parts of Derry in the run up to the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday is both distressing and disheartening.
“They can only have been erected to cause hurt to the victims and survivors of Bloody Sunday and their families and I would ask those who put them up to show some decency and remove them immediately.
“I know the people who erected these flags do not speak for these communities.
“The vast majority of the people in our city just want to get along with their neighbours in an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding.
“Bloody Sunday was one of the worst atrocities of our troubled past and its anniversary will bring back painful memories and pause to people right across these islands.
“We should be using the 50th anniversary to remember those who died and to think about how far we’ve come as a society since 1972.”
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