Derry councillors clash over World War II Jazz Festival commemoration

A heated difference of opinion took place between Derry City and Strabane District councillors during a discussion on the 2025 City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival.
Elected members clashed over the incorporation into the festival of a two-day programme of activity marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic and the official surrender of the German U-boat fleet at Lisahally - on May 3 and 4.
Council’s Museum Service is overseeing this element of the festival; its draft programme was outlined to councillors at Tuesday afternoon’s Business and Culture committee meeting.
The activities will take place in Ebrington and will “allow museum staff to engage with visitors on the plans for the new [North Atlantic] Museum”.
According to the report presented at the meeting, it will include a full scale replica of a WWII spitfire, provided and managed by the Ulster Aviation Society, and a display of some of the Museum Service’s WWII related collections.
It will also incorporate “living history characters; a live re-enactment of the surrender of the U-boats as viewed from the Peace Bridge; music and clothes from the WWII era; as well as looking at ways to enable visitors to appreciate what the city was like in 1945 and the significance of the events in relation to world conflict and peace”.
In addition, the Tower Museum will also “deliver a series of WWII workshops for schools to raise awareness of the significance of the city and region during the Second World War”.
Welcoming the event, Alderman Julie Middleton (DUP) said she would “enthusiastically welcome the celebrations and commemorations that have been thoughtfully incorporated to do with the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic and the surrender of the U-boats at Lisahally.
She added: “These are moments of great historical significance and this will be most welcome by so many, not only locally and district wide but also from much further afield. These are really fantastic plans and it is great to see the VE celebrations incorporated.”
Alderman Derek Hussey (UUP) also welcomed the “recognition of the 80th anniversary of the U-boat surrender and the conclusion of the longest battle of the Second World War”.
He added: “If we move on a few days, we move on to Victory in Europe Day on May 8, and we cannot forget the American involvement through all of this.”
Cllr Shaun Harkin (People Before Profit) said Derry City and Strabane District Council had had previous discussion about the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic and the Lisahally U-boats.
“I want to say I am not going to be in favour of any events that glorify and celebrate militarism and I’m a bit worried about the enthusiasm that some members of the chamber are showing today for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic,” he said.
“The DUP in particular has been an outright supporter of the genocide that is being conducted by Israel and the United States and for me there is a clear link in the chain between the First World War, the Second World War, the Cold War and what the United States and Israel are dong today in Gaza.
“I think, what the White House is talking about doing right now, in terms of moving more than two million people out of Gaza, driving them out of their homes and their lands, will be much worse than we have already seen.
“So, yes, the Americans did participate in the Second World War but there should be no events that celebrate militarism, that glorify militarism, especially in this context right now.
“In a week [which is also] celebrating Workers’ Rights and Social Justice, to have events in the city that are glorifying militarism, at a time when the British State is involved in a genocidal war in Gaza, would be a very serious issue and I think the Council needs to take this on board in a very serious way. I am not quite sure what to make of the adding in of that to the Jazz Festival.”
Ald Hussey said he found it “ironic Cllr Harkin cannot accept an event which commemorates the end of a conflict”.