|
By William Graham
Political Correspondent
Bitter exchanges between unionist, republican and nationalist politicians dominated yesterday’s assembly debate about the protests at Holy Cross primary school.
There was, however, a strong message from many politicians underlining the need for dialogue to resolve the situation.
This was the first day back in business for the assembly after the summer recess and there was a sombre, almost tense atmosphere in the chamber as MLAs started to debate last week’s scenes in north Belfast.
The debate was opened by Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly, who reminded members that this was European Year of the Child, and that the European Convent-ion on Human Rights places the rights of children above the rights of protests.
“Protesting against children in my opinion is illegal and it is certainly absolutely wrong,” Mr Kelly said.
Tabling a motion urging MLAs to support the rights to education of the Holy Cross girls, the north Belfast assemblyman said there had been an attempt to murder children when a blast bomb exploded as they were escorted to school last week.
“If members of the assembly are for the rights of the children they should be united in their call for the blockade to end,” Mr Kelly said.
“Whatever our differences, we should all be united in calling for face-to-face dialogue in an attempt to resolve the issue.”
Mr Kelly said that his community was ready to sit down and discuss the situation.
There were many common problems of economic and social neglect, he said, but primary school children were not to blame for any of this and should not be getting punished.
Danny Kennedy, chairman of the Stormont education committee, accused Mr Kelly of a republican rant in a bid to divert attention from the three IRA suspects currently being held in Colombia.
Tabling an amendment to the motion taking in all schools, the Newry and Armagh MLA claimed Mr Kelly had ignored the issue of education.
“Children should not be used by parents or perhaps any political group to advance a particular agenda,” he said.
“There is a very great concern that many of us have that there have been elements only too glad to see contention, only too glad to see trouble erupt in that particular area of north Belfast in an attempt to use it to their own narrow political advantage.
“I mention the party involved as Sinn Fein/IRA as being directly involved in that,” Mr Kennedy said.
At the same time, Mr Kennedy said the scenes witnessed last week were appalling and he wanted to place on record Ulster Unionist condemnation of any violence in relation to this.
He added: “All school children should have the right to travel to and from school without interference or obstruction.”
His amendment was rejected by SDLP north Belfast assemblyman Alban Maginness, who claimed it distracted attention from the loyalist blockade.
He said: “It is insufficient to generalise this into an omnibus motion which involves other schools who hitherto have not been affected and I hope to God will never be affected in the way Holy Cross Girls Schools has been affected.”
Mr Maginness insisted the school at the centre of the sectarian trouble had been the victim of the collective failure of politicians and the community to live together.
He said the protest should be terminated to allow a real and constructive dialogue between the two communities.
North Belfast DUP MLA Nigel Dodds said no-one had mentioned the death of 16-year-old Protestant Thomas McDonald.
“It is shameful that no-one has mentioned thus far in all their talk about concern for children the terrible plight of that Protestant family in the White City and what they have gone through.”
He said the media and press have ignored what has been going on in other parts of west Belfast. Accusing Sinn Fein of hypocrisy, Mr Dodds claimed party members had been involved in murder and other crimes against the community and children.
In an earlier statement, Mr Dodds said there was a growing realisation that across north Belfast the unionist community was alienated and excluded, and the residents of Glenbryn have genuine grievances.
He suggested an initiative to draw together various strands of unionism in a coherent way.
Billy Hutchinson, the PUP’s North Belfast MLA, called for both sides to begin talks.
“The problem is there are adults who accompany children to Holy Cross school who have acted in a sectarian way, irrespective of whether that’s been physical or verbal abuse, they have carried it out.
“The people in Glenbryn have a legitimate case and it should be heard, and the people in Ardoyne who walk their children to school certainly they have a case.
“Nobody but nobody should stand in the way of that dialogue,” Mr Hutchinson said.
Alliance deputy leader Eileen Bell pointed out that an Ardoyne GP has had to proscribe sedatives to Holy Cross children.
The North Down MLA asked: “Are we really as citizens of Northern Ireland losing all sense of rationality in our apparently crazed desire to achieve our own relative interests and aims at the expense of some of the most vulnerable in our society, our primary school children?
“Are we going to start on the nursery school next?”
Later the amendment was carried by the assembly, which then passed the revised motion.
The vote came after acting Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon warned against exploiting the situation in north Belfast for wider political gains.
The SDLP deputy leader, who has been involved with Secretary of State John Reid and acting First Minister Sir Reg Empey in formulating a package aimed at resolving the crisis through formal dialogue, insist-ed the talks should focus on local issues such as housing, education, social development and community relations.
He said: “North Belfast must not be used as a boxing ring for the wider pressures and conflicts and scores to be settled throughout Northern Ireland, or as a pawn in a wider political context. These efforts can only be effective if a peaceful atmosphere is created.”
DUP leader Ian Paisley said a report into paramilitary attacks in Northern Ireland published last month showed the Provis-ional IRA has targeted children more than Protestant terror groupings. He accused Mr Kelly of trivialising the horror of segregation of black Americans by comparing it with a squalid local turf war.
“This is the same Gerry Kelly who is connected to the same republican movement which over the years has deposited many a pound of semtex on the back of many a bus,” Mr Paisley said.
“The IRA, let us not forget, once shot dead a school bus driver in front of the children he was taking to school. No worries about children’s rights there.”
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams cautioned unionists over the type of message they were sending out.
“Even if everything they say is true, even if everything they say is accurate, what has this got to do with young children?” Mr Adams asked.
Mr Adams added: “Those who have made their political careers out of sectarianism, most famously the last speaker, Ian Paisley, need to reflect on their roles since the 60s in creating the difficulties visited upon all of us.”
More News
|