Belfast Unionists Issue Summons For Special Meeting
Belfast City Hall unionists have come together to present a summons for a special council meeting to discuss the actions of the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Féin). On 28th November 2011 in City Hall, the Lord Mayor refused to present a Duke of Edinburgh’s award to a fifteen year old girl. The teenager was a member of the Armed Cadet Forces. The summons, which will be presented to councill officials tomorrow morning at 0900hrs has been signed by members of the Democratic Unionist Party, Ulster Unionist Party, PUP and independent unionist alderman, Frank McCoubrey and reads:
“This council: Is appalled that the Lord Mayor politicised the Duke of Edinburgh Awards presentation in City Hall on 28th November by refusing to present an award to a young member of the Armed Cadet Forces; affirms that the civic position of Lord Mayor is about representing and respecting everyone within this city and calls on the Lord Mayor to publicly apologise for his actions and the gross offence caused. Failure to do so immediately would render his position untenable and he should resign."
In a joint statement, Alderman Robin Newton, leader of the DUP Group in Belfast City Council and Alderman David Brown, UUP Group leader said:
“The Lord Mayor has brought his office into disrepute by his actions and it is hard to underestimate the groundswell of public revulsion that he has generated. The vast majority of Belfast people, regardless of their background are appalled by his actions. It is now beyond any reasonable doubt that he has no intention of acting as a Lord Mayor for everyone.
Throughout his term of office he has behaved in an exclusionary and backward-looking way. To snub a fifteen-year old child, on what should have been a happy ocassion for her and her family, represents one of the lowest points that City Hall politics has ever witnessed. Such petty bigotry has no place in modern society.
We are sending a message that all political representatives need to take a stand for genuine inclusion and fairness. At this juncture it is our hope that colleagues from other parties in the council will add their signatures to our requisition."
