Fight for civil rights continues

Posted by Jim on February 3, 2018

Fifty years on from the launch of the civil rights movement,
nationalists are contining to battle for equality in the face of
systematic and opportunistic discrimination.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the famous civil rights marches
from Coalisland to Dungannon and at Duke Street in Derry city. Images
of the RUC beating protestors at Duke Street were broadcast around the
world by the international media.

But while nationalist politicians have been bickering over who should
get credit for the civil rights movement, it emerged this week that
Catholics are still almost 50% more likely to be unemployed as
Protestants. The latest annual figures released by the Stormont
administration this week showed that the inequality gap is actually
widening.

In sports, nationalist teams are currently prevented from playing at a
publicly owned sports pitch in North Belfast due to a loyalist threat.
And there was international disbelief when a local council announced
this week that it had blocked the flying of Irish flags at a public St
Patrick’s Day celebration.

Derry City and Strabane District Council said that as it had provided
some funding, it would insist no flags be used at the St Patrick’s Day
event. The council’s move has left it open to accusations of anti-Irish
discrimination, as it has never previously objected to the use of the
British flag at loyalist events.

Independent republican councillor Paul Gallagher said the changes were
a result of a mistaken “interpretation of legislation” by councillors
Sinn Fein is to seek to reverse the decision.

Meanwhile, pupils from Irish-medium schools across the north have been
forced to protest at Stormont parliament buildings over the
discrimination that Irish language speakers face on a daily basis.

Katy-Rose Meade, an A-level student from Colaiste Feirste secondary
school in Belfast, addressed the rally on the steps of Parliament
Buildings.

“The community has organised and mobilised for over 12 months, and will
continue to do so until our rights are delivered, as was promised more
than 12 years ago (in the St Andrews Agreement),” she said.

“I was six when that promise was made and during my lifetime I have
witnessed obstacle after obstacle placed before the growth of our
community-led revival.

“That community has had enough. Nothing other than a stand-alone
rights-based Irish-language Act, as is afforded to other minority
language communities on these islands, will do,” Katy-Rose added.