Other News In Brief

Alliance Calls For Removal Of Confederate Flags In East Belfast

The Alliance party has called for the removal of "racist, white supremacist symbols" in East Belfast.

Making the call, Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle said that the party has written to the PSNI following the appearance of Confederate Flags in the Island Street area. Police have been urged to consider if the erection of the symbols could be viewed as a racist hate crime, resulting in a breach of the peace.

He said: "Alliance has received a number of complaints around the display of these flags and have reported their presence to the PSNI.

"It is extremely disappointing to see flags closely linked with historical slavery and racist tension displayed in East Belfast. We do not want to see these flags legitimise intolerant views, or give rise to these attitudes in our community.

"I would hope they could be removed as soon as possible."

National Democracy Week Marks 1928 Equal Franchise Act

National Democracy Week has been announced to coincide with the 90th Anniversary of the 1928 Equal Franchise Act, which gave women the same voting rights as men.

As part of a year-long series of programmes to mark The Centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, the Department for Communities (DfC), in partnership with Politics Plus, developed and hosted a bespoke two-day leadership and civil representation programme. This programme was aimed to encourage participants to build an impressive set of skills that will open opportunities, encourage change and growth in participants' lives and build capacity amongst their networks.

This programme, entitled 'She Believed She Could, So She Did', was aimed at 18 to 24-year-old females and took place in Derry/Londonderry and Belfast in May and June. Through the medium of art, with coaching from local Artist Friz and singer Katie Richardson, participants created two 'empowerment' themed anthems and five paintings. They also designed and produced five one-minute empowering messages videos which will be tweeted by DfC each day during Democracy Week.

Sinn Féin Reiterate Call For An Irish Unity Referendum

Sinn Féin's former Party President, Gerry Adams, has called for a referendum on Irish unity and said that "new thinking is needed by us all".

Commenting on the current crisis in the institutions, Brexit and Sinn Féin's goal of a referendum on Irish unity, Mr Adams said: "The DUP have tied themselves to the English Tories; they embrace Brexit. They continue to deny citizens' rights enjoyed elsewhere on these islands. But that will all be sorted. Of that there is no doubt.

"We can say with certainty that the DUP position is not sustainable. It is for them to come to terms with that.

"Everyone here knows that the Taoiseach's position on the North, the border and rights is a direct consequence of the strength of Sinn Féin. So we will persist and we will prevail.

"All political parties and others who support the Good Friday Agreement and an end to partition should also campaign for this modest step forward.

"How a shared Ireland, an agreed Ireland is created is another matter deserving of careful, generous and positive inclusivity. To begin with we need to understand that many unionists hold to their sense of identity as strongly as we do. So new thinking is needed by us all.

"We are a diverse people. That should be proudly proclaimed and not used to divide us. Ireland is an island – a society – in transition. The future is bright despite the dire threats of Brexit."

Mr Adams was speaking at the annual commemoration at the republican Memorial Garden in Mullaghban, beside Ti Chulainn, where a stone was unveiled in honour of Martin McGuinness who officially opened the Memorial Garden in 2010.

(MH/LM)