Northern Ireland

Charges dropped against three Derry men who erected Palestinian flag on crane

The flag was placed at a building site in Foyle Street in Derry

A man has been charged at Derry Magistrates Court with carrying out a provocative act relating to a Palestinian flag.
All three men from Derry were found not guilty

Three men charged with disorderly behaviour after they erected a Palestinian flag on a crane in Derry have been cleared of the charges against them.

Jude McCrory (26) of Magowan Park, Lorcan Deeney (23) of Foxhill and Aaron Gallagher (29) of Rathlin Drive, all in Derry, faced one charge of disorderly behaviour on January 5 this year.

The incident arose after they erected a Palestinian flag on the crane on a building site in Foyle Street.

District Judge Barney McElholm said he had considered if their behaviour was in itself disorderly and he said they wanted to draw attention to a political viewpoint and there was nothing illegal in that.

The judge said that the three had not entered the property to steal and all they were seeking to do was draw attention to the flag.

He ruled that there was nothing inherently disorderly in their behaviour and found all three not guilty.