Skip to content

University reverses ban on collarettes at Remembrance service

Lili BusbyBBC News NI
UUP Jay Basra, who has short, dark hair and wears a white shirt and a pink-and-blue striped tie, stands outdoors in front of trees and foliage.UUP
Jay Basra said the ban was a "deeply disappointing step backwards" for inclusion

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has reversed a decision to ban the wearing of collarettes at its Remembrance Sunday service.

A document setting out arrangements for next month's wreath-laying ceremony, seen by BBC News NI, stated: "Please note that collarettes are not to be worn."

The move was criticised by the university's Young Unionists club, which said that banning collarettes - such as those worn by Orange Order members - "reinforces the perception among some unionist students that Queen's remains a cold house for their community".

In a statement, QUB said that "having listened to feedback" it had "agreed that they can continue to be worn".

The Remembrance service will be held at QUB's war memorial, which sits in front of the university's main Lanyon Building, on Sunday 8 November.

Several of the university's societies and clubs are expected to attend and lay wreaths at the memorial.

UUP People gather for a Remembrance ceremony in a paved square outside a large brown-brick building at Queen's University Belfast. Several rows of attendees stand, many wearing dark, formal clothing and holding red poppy wreaths. Three young men in the centre of the group wear Orange Order collarettes over their suits. The building in the background has a sign above the entrance, which reads: The Sir William Whitla Hall.UUP
Orange Order members had worn their collarettes at previous Remembrance services at the university

Jay Basra, the chair of the Young Unionists club, described the original decision to ban collarettes as a "deeply disappointing step backwards" for inclusion and respect at the university.

Collarettes had been worn by some students representing the Orange Order at previous Remembrance events at the university.

QUB told BBC News NI that its original decision not to allow collarettes this year had been the result of an update to the "marching dress code" to reflect Royal British Legion guidance "at the request of some veterans and serving members of the armed forces".

But it added: "Having listened to further feedback from a wider range of stakeholders, the university recognises the importance of collarettes for some members of the procession and has therefore agreed that they can continue to be worn."

Getty Images The Lanyon Building at Queen's University Belfast, showing its distinctive red‑brick Gothic Revival facade with pointed windows, crenellated parapets and a central clock tower rising above the quadrangle lawn. A war memorial stands on a pedestal in front within a paved forecourt bordered by low, black chains, while trimmed grass and pathways extend across the campus.Getty Images
Poppy wreaths are laid at the university's war memorial during the Remembrance Sunday service

Basra welcomed the lifting of the ban, saying: "Nobody taking part in that act of remembrance should be told that part of their identity is not welcome.

"Remembrance should be an occasion that brings people together, irrespective of their background or tradition.

"Looking ahead, I would encourage the university to engage directly with those affected before making changes of this kind.

"That would avoid unnecessary upset and help build confidence among unionist students that Queen's is a welcoming home for their community too."

'Lessons must be learned'

Democratic Unionist Party assembly member Phillip Brett said the reversal of the original decision was a sign that "common sense has prevailed".

"While I welcome the willingness of senior management to engage constructively with me and reverse this decision, serious questions remain about how it was taken in the first place," he said.

"Lessons must be learned to ensure that such an unnecessary situation does not arise again."