• The argument broke out during a full council meeting on September 1
A Sinn Féin councillor said that the DUP’s stance over Irish language issues could be considered “racist” during a row which broke out between two councillors at a Belfast City Council meeting on Monday night.
The argument, which involved Sinn Féin’s Ciaran Beattie and the DUP’s Dean McCullough, began as the council’s Irish language policy was discussed.
Councillor Beattie said that the DUP had opposed “every single thing” that comes before council relating to the language.
“That is the issue. They don’t like Irish,” he said.
He added that their stance could be seen “by a lot of people” as “racist” and that the DUP had cost the “council and ratepayers probably hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees” due to the party calling-in Irish language policies.
Alderman McCullough rejected the claim that his party’s stance on Irish language was racist and defended their right to use a call-in motion, adding that they were “democratically” entitled to oppose council policies.
Both members engaged in a back-and-forth during the heated debate.
“Are you saying we’re racist?” Alderman McCullough said.
Councillor Beattie responded: “You’re anti-Irish.”
The DUP member then repeated the question, which was met by the same response from Sinn Féin’s council group leader.
They were then interrupted by the Lord Mayor Tracy Kelly: “We’re not at a football match, boys.”
“We’re not here to shout at each other across the chamber,” she later added.
Following the interaction, SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite said that it was “quite ironic” that the argument broke out between two parties which had just last week agreed on the appointment of two new language commissioners at Stormont.
“Yet we’re happy to have yet another embarrassing bunfight in this chamber about the promotion of the Irish language,” he said.
by Jeffreys_therapist
28 comments
Nice to see a politician understating an issue for once
SDLP and Alliance bravely taking a “both sides need to grow up” approach to the historic and ongoing suppression of our native language and culture. Inspiring stuff.
Don’t think Irish is a race. When its country based isn’t it xenophobia?
The DUP racist? I’m shocked. Utterly, utterly shocked.
These settlers are never going to integrate in Ireland. Repatriation back to England and Scotland should be an option in a United Ireland. Although I suspect they are also not wanted there, as they exhibit extreme bigotry.
Another little Brass Eye moment in the world of NI politics!
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I’d love the DUP to just be honest and say they hate Irish, instead of this silly carry on.
Are council meeting streamed like stormont ones are?
And the anti British isn’t ?
Why is everything that people disagree with racist these days 😂😂 , “I don’t like this particular thing “ YOUR A NAZI , YOUR A RACIST . Who honestly cares
Lol Sinn Fein the eternal victims. Cry me a river boys.
Pmsl where’s that pic of Mary Lou with the Brits out banner 🤣
Last I checked Irish and British are still the same race
Bigoted yes xenophobic yes racist no
Up next water wet, more at 10!
We’re not anti Irish or racist, it’s just a coincidence we shoot down absolutely anything about the language and we dog whistle anti immigrant policies and takes, leak the location of refugee hotels, have longstanding ties to paramilitaries who have backed ethnic cleansing (and promoted and agreed with said ethnic cleansing) and through these groups have ties to neo nazi organisations.
DUP, apparently.
country carved up to provide the superior race of colonists its own fiefdom, people genocided, language erased, diaspora scattered to the four corners of the earth,
DUP anti irish? No shit sherlock.
Spidermanpointingatspiderman.png
I wonder what that makes the majority of people on this sub when talking anything loyalist
Sorry for the stupid comment, but why do they object so strongly to Irish? Like, even if they are part of the UK and will always be so ( in their minds) they surely acknowledge that they are on the island of Ireland and it is part of the culture. Sorry im not from NI and am looking at it without the emotional baggage.
Could be seen as? It absolutely IS racism. It needs to be called out for exactly what it is.
Who really gives a fuck about Irish language and Ulster scotch… pitiful
Anything for a 1 up
Joke of a government
Like most posts on here tho anti British lol 😂
Oh man up sinn fein could be seen as ‘racist’ then too
technically wouldn’t be racist as Irish is an ethnicity, so Xenophobic is the right word.
That doesn’t carry the same weight as racism and so they’ve probably used the racism tag to sensationalise, but councillors, MLAs etc you’d think should be better educated on these things.
“Are you saying we’re racist?” Why yes, yes you are and if you aren’t then why do you think the racists vote for you? Of course they’re anti-Irish. It’s sad really, if they were that self assured in their proud British identity then words on a road sign wouldn’t threaten them. But they do feel threatened that’s why they’re fighting so hard.
The alt-right lunatics who openly smear gay people, immigrants and natives alike, and anybody who isn’t a Free Presbo, are racists? I’m shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
So SF’s anti British stance could be seen as racist as well
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