Parade go-ahead would be ‘extremely inflammatory’ - SF Councillor

Sinn Féin Councillor Tierna Cunningham said she would be amazed if the Parades Commision allowed a loyal order parade to through a nationalist area next week.
Residents from Whitewell and Bawnmore joined Tierna and party MLA Carál Ní Chuilín in a meeting with the Parades Commission this week to outline their strict opposition to any such parade.
The parade has been lodged by the City of Belfast County Grand Black Chapter who want their one band and 140 participants to march on Friday August 1 along the route that begins at Cloughfern Protestant Hall and then travels along Doagh Road, Shore Road (passing the nationalist Bawnmore estate), under the bridge and onto the Whitewell Road before finishing at Greencastle Orange Hall at the bottom of the Whitewell Road just after 9pm.
Tierna Cunningham said she would be gobsmacked if the 11 Bar One application was approved.
“I would be seriously amazed if this was granted,” she said.
“If the Parades Commission are all about fostering good relations in the community they couldn't, in all good conscience give this march the green light.”
Fifteen years ago the Royal Black Perceptory took this route when many nationalist homes were attacked.
“This part of North Belfast and especially the Whitewell has gone from mainly mixed to mainly nationalist over the last 15 years. To parade here now would be extremely inflammatory.”
Sinn Féin will fight to retain Whitewell Library

Sinn Féin Tierna Cunningham said her party would be fighting to keep Whitewell Library open.
“As a party we support rationalisation as long as it's sensible but specifically regarding the closure of Whitewell Library I don't think it makes sense,” said Tierna.
“People from the Whitewell simply don't feel safe using the Grove and we will be fighting hard to make sure we get the service we deserve.”

Kelly calls for accept the offensive nature of her words

Calling on Mrs Robinson to accept the offensive nature of her words in her latest outburst on homosexuality, North Belfast Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly said the gay community already suffered an intolerable degree of discrimination and attack.
“Iris Robinson's comments come on the back of several ill advised and poorly judge statements from a woman who is not only the wife of the First Minister but the chairperson of the Assembly Health Committee," he said.
"Her words undermine the sterling work of groups such as the Rainbow Project who were recently hosted in the Long Gallery Stormont.
"I accept that she has since retracted her words, but what we need to see now is a change in her attitude and an acceptance of the fact that these words and statements are deeply, deeply offensive and hurtful to members of the gay community and their families."

Lack of funding for this year’s New Lodge Festival was a complete mess - Ní Chuilín

North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín said the .
Belfast Sinn Fein MLA Carál Ní Chuilín said festivals like the New Lodge should be given every support.
“These festivals were brought in to replace the violence we had around the anniversary of internment, it was about keeping the streets safe,” she said.
“But £77,000 for the whole city of Belfast is crazy. It’s just not enough. DCAL’s a complete mess. The DUP minister and the Civil Service have no understanding of what a community festival is.”
Festival organiser John O’Hagan said it would be back to basics for the New Lodge Festival.
“Due to the lack of money available for community festivals the New Lodge Festival Committee has this year been unable to secure funding to stage a programme of events as previous years,” said John.
“However we hope to take this opportunity to bring the festival back to basics. Back to the days when we had no funding the festival was always a huge success,” he said.

Margaret calls for derelict building to be dealt with

North Belfast Sinn Fein councillor Margaret McClenaghan has called on the Housing Executive (HE) to listen to the fears of residents living in the shadow of a derelict death-trap.
Margaret repeated her demands for housing bosses to demolish the building in the Farringdon area of Ardoyne.
Margaret said she fears children playing in the grounds will be injured or worse if and when it collapses.
Despite HE assurances that the property would be surveyed by a structural engineer, Margaret said technicalities were wasting precious time.
“It doesn't take an engineer to see the bungalow is a health and safety nightmare and it needs to be demolished,” said Margaret.
“If that house was demolished and two houses built in its place it would make residents' lives more bearable and at the same time provide vital housing for those on North Belfast's ever-increasing housing waiting list.”
Residents of the area had also been plagued by anti-social gangs drinking and partying in a privately-owned derelict house in the same street.
Although the landlord has boarded up the property on several occasions, the Republican representative said more needed to be done to bring the situation to a close.
“With these two vacant properties so close together it's an absolute nightmare situation for residents and I want to see something done to end all this,” said Margaret.
“Vacant houses have always been a recipe for disaster and when it starts to effect the quality of life of those around them we need to speak out.”

Lavery praises new lease of life for Kinnaird

North Belfast Sinn Fein councillor Danny Lavery said he is delighted that a string of derelict and rat infested houses in Kinnaird Street have been pulled down to make way for five new family homes.
“Sinn Féin has been lobbying to get these houses sorted for years,” said Danny.
“And I am pleased now that they've gone and will now be turned into much needed family homes.

Sinn Féin MLAs praise summer scheme success

North Belfast Sinn Féin MLAs Gerry Kelly and Carál Ní Chuilín have given their support to a summer scheme in the New Lodge aimed at encouraging local children to stay away from interface flashpoints.
Organised by Tar Isteach in Hillman Street, Sinn Féin councillor and youth worker Tierna Cunningham said the summer was shaping up really well despite the weather.
“We've been running now for nearly two weeks and it's been really good craic so far,” said Tierna.
“The kids work hard all year long with us and in school, and this is an opportunity for them to have fun. We took them to W5 the other day and we're going on a banana boat soon as well. And if the weather's dry we'll take them up Cave Hill. It’s all good fun with exercise thrown in, which is great.”
Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín said the Tar Isteach youth group has produced several successes already.
“They've been involved in graffiti removal schemes as well as anti-sectarian and anti-racism projects like the mural dedicated to Rosa Parks and another condemning attacks on our emergency services.
“It's about respect for themselves and respect for the community they come from. There are 2,500 young people under the age of 25 here in the New Lodge and it’s only a small minority involved at the interfaces. That's where diversionary programmes need to continue and need to be funded,” said Carál.

Kelly’s expresses shock at Young Offenders’ Centre report

North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has expressed his concern about a new report into conditions at Hydebank Young Offenders’ Centre, which this week revealed conditions there have deteriorated in the past two years.
Inspectors said conditions were worse than they had been following the last inspection, with juvenile prisoners reportedly spending 20 hours a day locked in their cells and being routinely strip-searched and unnecessarily handcuffed.
Former Republican POW Gerry said if punishment for young offenders had to be jail then conditions needed to be drastically improved.
“As a junior minister I have a special responsibility for children and young people and that is why I am all the more shocked and concerned by the findings of this new report,” said Gerry.
“There is a deep concern that educational and recreational facilities are under-used if young people are locked up for most of the day and I intend to get to the bottom of this.
“This situation is unacceptable and I will be demanding to know every single improvement that was supposedly carried out since the last inspection.
“This is a very vulnerable section of society we are talking about and there is no chance they can come out of Hydebank reformed if they are not given the proper facilities when inside.”

Sinn Féin calls for vigilance after gun incident

North Belfast Sinn Féin Councillor Danny Lavery called on Belfast City Council to act after a nationalist council employee had a gun put to his head as he walked to work at the Council’s Duncrue Street cleansing depot.
The man was subjected to a torrent of sectarian abuse before having a gun put to his head.
Sinn Féin Councillor Danny Lavery said he had been hounding the Council to put in place temporary arrangements to facilitate nationalist council workers in sensitive areas over the summer months.
“This innocent man was simply going about his business trying to earn a day's wages when he was subjected to this despicable act of intimidation in broad daylight,” said Danny.
“Nationalist Council workers have reported feeling very intimidated in certain areas over the last number of weeks and the issue of alternative short-term arrangements has been raised several times, yet still nothing concrete has been put in place.
“It shouldn't need an incident like this to kick Council officers into action and I have been on to the Council this week to try to get something sorted immediately until these sensitive few months have passed.
“Facilitation is not being pushed hard enough and I want to see action taken immediately.”
Party colleague and North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly urged the Council to be as flexible as possible in facilitating nationalist workers in the coming weeks.
“At this time of year when tensions are raised I would urge all agencies to be as flexible as possible and make special arrangements where necessary to avoid heightening tensions,” said the MLA.
“There is no political support for this type of activity and there is no support in North Belfast for anyone who is trying to take us back in time.
“What is needed here is vigilance and I would ask everyone to look out for one another because there is no room for complacency,” said Gerry.

Lavery condemns arson attack
Danny Lavery has also condemned an arson attack on the home of an elderly couple, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Police said the man and woman were unhurt but were left badly shaken after the blaze broke out at their Brookvale Avenue home.
It was revealed this week that 40 per cent of the Fire and Rescue Service’s entire budget is spent on dealing with malicious fires – Cllr Lavery said it was disgrace that money was being wasted in this way.
“These firebugs and arsonists are using up precious resources in the Fire Service's budget which is, like that of most other agencies, already stretched. This arson attack in Brookvale is the latest in a very long line of distressing incidents right across North Belfast and they need to be stopped,” said Danny.

Racist attacks are cowardly - Cunningham

Sinn Féin councillor Tierna Cunningham said those behind a racist campaign that has forced a west African family to flee their North Belfast home as cowards.
The family have decided to leave their Old Westland Road home of two years after the third attack in as many weeks.
“Everyone has the right to live in peace and without threat of attack and I wholeheartedly condemn these attacks on this innocent family,” said Tierna.
“I will do whatever I can on the ground to find out who is behind this intimidation and to support the family at this very difficult time.”
It’s the third time windows in the house have been smashed since the end of May and the car has also been targeted in the racist attacks.

Meanwhile Tierna Cunningham has slammed racist graffiti on a wall on the Shore Road as disgraceful and has contacted Belfast City Council to get it removed.
“All right-thinking people should condemn this, it is completely appalling. Everyone has the right to live in peace and harmony and I would appeal to anyone who witnessed this being written to come forward to the police,” said the republican representative.
“It is important people go that extra mile for their neighbours no matter what background they come from. If anyone is experiencing problems they can contact our office on the Antrim Road and we will be more than happy to support them.”

Kelly calls for community to unite against sectarian attacks

Condemning recent sectarian attacks in North Belfast, Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly called on the community to unite against interface violence.
Appealing directly to unionism to condemn the attacks the republican representative said strong leadership on the ground was the only way forward.
“There are serious concerns about the increase in sectarian attacks in the area over the weekend and I want to express my disgust at what happened,” said Gerry.
“One man is lucky to be alive while two teenagers were attacked and various other incidents occurred.
“North Belfast's MLAs have united in their condemnation of interface violence and I would call on the community to unite against it too.”
In one of the incidents a North Belfast father-of-three was stabbed in the head and neck with a spear in Duncairn Gardens.
The stabbing followed a weekend of sectarian attacks in North Belfast. Two teenagers were attacked by a gang from the Tiger’s Bay area on Saturday night near Yorkgate, while several nationalist residents’ cars in Henderson Avenue were damaged by acid.
Sinn Féin Councillor Tierna Cunningham said she would be meeting with residents of Henderson Avenue to offer her support and appealed for no retaliation over the spate of attacks.
A man walking his dog along the Whitewell Road was attacked by a carload of men close to the entrance of the White City estate. Two cars in Mountainview Park were also damaged on after missiles rained over the peacewall.
Local republican and North Belfast interface worker Gerry O’Reilly said he was disappointed to learn of the recent attacks considering the amount of hard work put into reducing anti-social behaviour at flashpoints.
“A lot of progress has been made by individuals and groups working at the interface, including residents’ groups, since last summer," he said.
“I think a good example of people working together came through with the recent quiet Tour of the North.
“Some of the positive steps which were taken influenced that outcome, therefore it is very disappointing that here we have individuals who insist on attacking people on a purely sectarian basis.
“Anyone with information should be contacting the PSNI to ensure the people involved will go face the courts for their actions. In the meantime, talks and dialogue between the two communities will continue.”

Ní Chuilín calls on community to support housing campaign

North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín called on the community as a whole to come out and support the Stand Up for North Belfast’ housing campaign for equality in North Belfast.
“So far what we have received is not good enough and what we need is the support of the people to show we won't settle for these inequalities any longer,” said Carál.
The republican representative’s comments came after the housing campaign took to the streets in their fight for equality.
With banners and placards, housing campaigners stopped traffic at the Donegall Street/Carrickhill junction in a bid to drum up support for their cause.
Outraged by the Planning Service’s decision to give the green light to 226 high-rise private apartments on the Donegall Street car park organisers said the protest was only the beginning of a relentless campaign.

Ní Chuilín wants answers regarding job loses
Meanwhile Carál Ní Chuilín called on the First and deputy First Ministers and Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie to justify the last-minute decision to axe five invaluable North Belfast community jobs.
Slamming the two Assembly departments in charge of allocating funding for North Belfast's Community Empowerment Partnerships (CEP), Carál said the ministers must justify the logic behind the decision to axe funding for the five posts.
The four communications workers from Ligoniel, New Lodge, Cliftonville and Ardoyne have been chopped while Ardoyne's education outreach worker post has also been terminated. Despite having been on protective notice since April when the North Belfast Community Action Unit (NBCAU) first announced jobs were to be axed, CEP staff believed their posts would be safe for at least a year as they were officially due to wind up in August 2009,
“There is something wrong with a process where groups are asked to submit new and revised plans and are then told they aren't getting new funding anyway, and I want to know what went wrong here,” said the republican representative.
“The CEPs do vital work in North Belfast yet important jobs have just been axed and I want to know the rationale behind the decision.
“This whole process clearly needs scrutinised and the North Belfast community and these invaluable workers deserve answers.”
Originally set up following the Holy Cross blockades of 2001, CEPs were intended to build community confidence and morale.

Action plan needed for troubled flats – Ní Chuilín

North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín has called for an action plan to tackle anti-social behaviour at a block of flats in North Belfast after violence broke out at the complex.
The PSNI officers had to escort security staff away from the block of flats just off the Antrim Road at the weekend after violence broke out.
The flats in Kinnaird Close, which are managed by Belfast Improved Housing (BIH), saw fierce fighting break out, causing the employees to raise the alarm.
A Sinn Féin delegation met with the housing association last week, before this latest incident, to discuss the worrying rise in the number of incidents in the flats and local republican Carál Ní Chuilín said clearly issues needed to be addressed.
“We met with BIH last Thursday to discuss the Kinnaird Close hot-spot and anti-social behaviour in BIH housing schemes,” said Carál.
“There are 36 flats in this block, 10 of them are vacant, and that is obviously a concern given the housing stress in North Belfast.
“Over the past eight years this development has gradually fallen by the wayside, helped on its way by the withdrawal of the concierge scheme around a year ago.
“We are engaging with BIH and the police over this issue as well as the Council, statutory organisations and residents. We want to devise and put in place an action plan to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area and improve the quality of life for people in the area whose lives are being affected.”

New metal theft could cause serious injuries

Sinn Féin councillor Margaret McClenaghan has called on the owner of a disused factory site to secure the land before a tragedy occurs.
The former O’Kane’s Poultry site is the second piece of land in Ligoniel to have been targeted by scrap metal thieves in as many weeks.
Only a fortnight ago Council railings around Ligoniel Dam were stolen and sold as scrap metal, leaving the dam wide open to young people.
“I can't believe that in the wake of the outcry residents made after the theft of the railings at the dam this activity has moved up to the old O’Kane's chicken factory site where it is once again putting lives in danger,” said Margaret.
“I have spoken with the agent for the land who knew nothing whatsoever about this.
“The way the land has been left is putting lives in danger and I would appeal to the owner of the land to get a fence up or something to secure it before someone wonders onto the land and is seriously injured or worse.”
Margaret said the owner of the land needed to act urgently to secure it before someone was hurt or seriously injured.