Regressive and backwards looking agenda will fail

By Carál Ní Chuilín

Events in North Belfast have again dominated the news for all the wrong reasons. An unwanted Orange parade through a nationalist area, an attempt by residents at peaceful protest against the march hijacked by a minority with an agenda leading nowhere and several nights of rioting in the heart of our community.

Many are working tirelessly with Sinn Féin for North Belfast. Together we are doing our best to attract regeneration, address inequality in jobs, housing, health and leisure and to ensure that resources are directed towards those in most need.
I am proud to live in and to represent the people of North Belfast. I will not be disheartened, distracted or intimidated by the efforts of anyone bent on exploiting or inflicting any type of criminality or violence on this community.

I will continue to challenge the Loyal Orders not to march through this community. I will continue to challenge the Parades Commission not to facilitate such parades. I will support the efforts of residents who seek a resolution to this issue. And I will continue to demand and work to achieve proper policing as a minimum right for the people I represent. That is Sinn Féin’s position.

I will also be to the fore in challenging those who misrepresented the pre-planned events of four days of violence and destruction within our community.
GARC, the self-appointed and non-elected residents group began a sit down protest on Ardoyne Road on the 12th of July, four hours before the parade arrived at the top of Woodvale. It was designed to pre-empt the peaceful protest organised by CARA, the locally elected residents group and to facilitate participation by a number of micro groups like RNU, Eirigi, CIRA, ONH and was also joined by numbers of anti-social elements who have terrorized this community for years.

GARC undermined any potential for a renewed public focus on the Orange Order over their demand to march through areas in which they are not wanted. They brought negative imagery and suffering to our community with no regard for the consequences. And many of them are now gone and the community is left to pick up the pieces.
During the course of these nights I, and many others, witnessed children as young as eight years old rioting. In some instances as soon as their parents became aware of this they moved immediately to bring their children home and out of harms way. Unfortunately, some parents either didn’t respond or reacted angrily to anyone suggesting they should bring their child home. One parent incredibly insisted her child had a right to riot. Some of these children were on the streets throughout the day and into the early hours.

Where young people are at risk we all have a responsibility to act in their better interests. Parents who allow their children to remain at risk must be challenged by their neighbours, by the community and by the statutory agencies.
But the rioting was not organized by eight year olds nor the vast majority of our youth nor adults. Most of our young people play a positive role in the community and take no part in interface violence. .

We are faced with a choice. Do we join together to build our community or do we acquiesce in the agenda of this few who seek to intimidate us? North Belfast is a proud community with much to be proud of, particularly our young people. I am confident that residents will face this challenge like they have faced every other, with dignity, patience and resilience. We will continue our work to build our communities and improve the lives of every single resident.
Finally, to both those who have marched through and away from Ardoyne after bringing chaos to our area and whose political strategy is a mirror image of each others’ regressive and backwards looking agenda, you have failed, again.