A council has come under fire following a decision to cancel its Armed Forces Day celebrations.
Mansfield District Council says it received "hurtful, divisive, and frankly unacceptable language" on its Facebook posts after Mansfield Business Improvement District (BID) cancelled the celebrations in March.
The authority explained its events budget reduced from £86,000 to £4,000, only covering "traffic management for Remembrance Sunday".
The decision to cancel was due to "tough financial decisions", with the council emphasising that the decision does not "devalue" veterans.
Mansfield District Council say it has received 'hurtful, divisive, and frankly unacceptable language'
Google Maps
On a social media post, the council said: "Cultural celebration is not a threat, it's a strength.
"Whether someone's heritage is Caribbean, African, Asian, Eastern European or from right here in Nottinghamshire, we're all part of this town. We all belong here.
"To those who keep asking 'why aren't we doing more for our own people?', ask yourself, who exactly do you mean? Because the people celebrating at the Carnival are Mansfield people.
"Different cultures, yes, but the same town, the same community. Let's stop drawing lines between 'us' and 'them'."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Jay Rowlinson, the chief executive of Mansfield BID, stated that the council's statement was "right," but there were several other reasons behind the cancellation.
Issues included costs, safety measures and assessing terrorism risks.
Rowlinson said: "As an ex-serving officer of 33 years in the British Army, it was with huge regret that we cancelled Armed Forces Day.
"The safety responsibility of the event sits solely with the event organiser, with councils and police forces more and more reluctant to support the risks involved, which is understandable when money is so tight for both organisations."
READ MORE: Red Arrows show cancelled suddenly at last minute as UK military put on standby
Armed Forces Day will take place up and down the country on June 28
GETTY
Plans have been put in place by the council for the armed forces community on July 26 and 27.
The council stated: "We still have a few years left of grant funding and we'll use it to bring even more culture, connection and joy to Mansfield.
"Let's come together and enjoy what we can do, not tear each other apart over what we can't."
Most Read
