Other News In Brief

Govt Urged To 'Scrap Cruel And Callous' Legacy Bill

Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly has called on the Conservative government to "listen to widespread opposition and scrap its cruel and callous" Legacy Bill.

The North Belfast MLA said: "I am calling on the British Government, once again, to scrap the flawed Legacy Bill that is attempting to close down truth and justice and put British state forces above the law.

"This reckless legislation is being rushed through and ignores opposition from victims and families, political parties, human rights experts and now the British Labour Party.

"The commitment given today in Belfast by the leader of the British Opposition that he would repeal what is clearly an unjust piece of legislation is welcome.

"All voices must continue to challenge the Tories on these cruel and callous attempts to block access to truth and justice for victims and families at every turn."

'No Surprise' Belfast One Of Most Congested Cities In The World – Green Party

The Green Party has said that it is "no surprise" that Belfast has been ranked the 50th most congested city in the world.

Party leader, Malachi O'Hara, said that the ranking was "indicative of the failure by successive executives to invest in public transport and support people to use their cars less."

Mr O'Hara said: "Despite the declaration of a climate emergency by the NI Assembly in 2020, little to nothing has actually been done to act on the emergency.

"Congestion means lost hours of productivity for business, commuters stuck in soul destroying bumper to bumper traffic and it means that citizens right across Belfast are breathing in toxic air.

"The Department for Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs suggests from it's own evidence that 1 in 24 deaths in Belfast are attributable to toxic air despite only 40% of households in Belfast not having access to a car or van.

"A primary cause of that toxic air is transport emissions."

Mal O'Hara continued: "Many cities used the opportunity during the first few waves of the pandemic to totally transform away from private car dependence. "Our Executive absolutely missed this opportunity by instead installing less than three kilometres of unconnected pop-up cycle lanes and refusing to enforce any form of pedestrianisation in the city."

Alliance Party Marks Martin Luther King Day

The Alliance Party has marked Martin Luther King Day (Monday 16 January), with Spokesperson for Migration, Kate Nicholl, stating that "his fight against racial inequality is still just as relevant today as it was during the United States civil rights movement".

The South Belfast MLA said: "The civil rights activism of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr remains as relevant today as it was during the United States civil rights movement.

"Earlier this month, Keenan Anderson, cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors was killed by Los Angeles police after he got in a traffic accident and officers who showed up repeatedly Tased and restrained him in the middle of the street, according to body-camera footage and his family's account.

"Last year was the deadliest year for police violence since experts started tracking killings nationwide in 2013, according to recent analysis. The Los Angeles Police Department has also fatally shot two people so far this year, and in 2020 killed Daniel Hernandez after he too was in a car accident.

"Keenan Anderson's killing is a reminder that over and over again, the burden and responsibility for violence gets placed at feet of Black men, but the grim reality is that violence that Black communities are experiencing vigilante and white supremacist violence, and violence at the hands of police officers who are meant to protect them.

"Members of racial minorities are suffering from the deep-rooted prejudices in our societies, and it is up to us as elected representatives to disseminate hatred and misinformation and promote social justice."

As Dr. King reminded the world in his historic speech in front of the United Nations in 1967 – "There can be no justice without peace, and there can be no peace without justice."

"This realisation remains as relevant as ever."