No ifs, no buts: racism is wrong

‘No room for racism’ says Weir

“There can be absolutely no justification, no ifs and no butts: racism is wrong” says Gemma Weir local Workers Party representative following attacks on the cars belonging to a number of foreign national families in the Whitewell area of north Belfast.

“Last night’s attacks come in the wake of a number of racist incidents across the city in recent months.  Racism is every bit as abhorrent and cancerous as its close relative sectarianism. There is no room for either in our society”, Gemma said.

“It is important that everyone condemns these attacks without reservation and that anyone who does seek to justify them is confronted and denounced. A united and actively anti-racist community response is the only way to counter these hate crimes. The first steps in that initiative are to show support to our neighbours and bring any and all information about these attacks to the PSNI”, Ms Weir said

You can’t see this

The banning of a play by Newtownabbey Council has been heavily criticised by local Workers Party representatives, Gemma Weir and Chris Bailie.

“This action is outrageous but not surprising” said Ms Weir

“We live in a society ruled by sectarian parties with a government build on sectarian structures.  It should really come as no surprise that when we elect fundamentalists this is one of the outcomes”.

The people of Newtownabbey and beyond should be free to make their own decisions about what they go to see:  in the theatre, the cinema or their local community. They should also be credited with the intelligence to come to their own conclusions about it rather than have them pre-determined by backwoods men”, Ms Weir added.

Her Party colleague Chris Bailie also raised concerns about the decision.

“There is a danger that this this type of religious extremism will simply be dismissed as the ravings of a few local councillors.  However, it is very important that it is publicly challenged and confronted – especially by the many, many people who long for an enlightened and secular society”.

“Ultimately, the best way to ensure that our local arts and leisure facilities are not under the control of religious zealots is not to elect them to those positions in the first place. We will all have that chance in a few months time”, Mr Bailie concluded

Time to talk about health and social care services

A matter of public urgency

The Workers Party has backed the call by trade union UNISON for an independent public inquiry into  A&E services in Northern Ireland following the collapse of services at the Royal Victoria Hospital this week.

Party spokesperson John Lowry said, “It is now a matter of public urgency that the circumstances and causes which led to the appalling events at Northern Ireland’s largest hospital are fully and openly investigated”.

“These scenes will be repeated”, Mr Lowry warned.  “It is an insult to patients, relatives, staff and the public to pretend that this was one off incident.  Masking the real causes by referring to it as a ‘major incident’ is also dishonesty. The reality is that closing A&E departments and slashing the number of beds results in the kind of horrendous scenes we have just witnessed”.

“Only a public inquiry can bring those facts to the fore and start to reverse the policy of cuts, cuts and more cuts”, Mr Lowry concluded.