Monthly Archives: February 2014

Racism needs a united response

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There is no room for racism: Weir

There is no room for racism: Weir

Workers  Party representative Gemma Weir  has called for united community response to the  recent spate of racist attacks in the north Belfast area. Her comments come  following an attack on a house in the Moyntcollyer area on Friday evening in which a window was  broken and racist graffiti  daubed on the walls.

“This  is the second racist attack on north Belfast residents in the past few weeks.  Cars were burnt and damaged in the Whitewell area last week and now we have  another attack only a few miles away”, said Gemma.

United community response

“Racism  is wrong. There is no room for it in our society and it must be met with a  determined and united community response. 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  concluded.

Integrated education benefits from ‘Big Davy’ walk

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Supporting integrated education

Supporting integrated education

More than £2,000 raised in a walk to commemorate north Belfast man Davy  Nocher – killed in a sectarian attack in October 1983 – has been presented to Hazelwood Integrated  College.

Workers Party local representatives Gemma Weir and Chris Bailey presented  the cheque to Hazelwood Principal Kathleen Gormley.

“Integrated education was a cause very close to Davy Nocher’s heart. It is  fitting that the money raised by the commemorative walk goes to support the  excellent work done by Hazelwood College over the last three decades”, said  Gemma Weir.

Priority

“The introduction of integrated education remains a Workers Party  priority”, said Chris Bailie. “We are delighted that we have been able to  demonstrate out commitment in such a tangible way and thank everyone who  supported the Cavehill Walk in memory of Davy”.

Picture: Workers Party representatives Gemma Weir and  Chris Bailie present a cheque to the Principal of Hazelwood Intergraded College,  Kathleen Gormley

Party suppport for trade union protest

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Change must start at Stormont

Change must start at Stormont

Workers Party members were amongst the several hundred protestors who turned out in support of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions  demonstration against the ineffectiveness of the Assembly, cuts to public services,  welfare reform, high unemployment a stagnant economy and a rise in paramilitary  violence.,

The Party sees one of the main  obstacles to progress as the sectarian political  parties, loyal only to their respective tribes and the their sectarian policies.  These are the main reasons why we why we continue to have localised conflicts over parades, protests and flags.
None of these parties represent working class interests and all are quite  happy to implement cuts to public services, reduce taxes for multi-national  corporations and perpetuate division in society

What type of society do we want?

What we urgently need is a real discussion about the type of society we live  in and the kind of values it upholds. The Party has called for the reform the  Assembly, a Bill of Rights, and  a new Civic Forum as the first steps towards  political progress.
But as long as the Assembly is run by sectarian blocs, for as long as no one  challenges its position and for as long as the rest of the community is frozen  out of discussion, nothing is going to change.

International Brigaders honoured

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Honouring a proud radical tradition

Seven men from the Shankill area  of Belfast who joined the International Brigade in 1936 and fought in defence of the Spanish Republic have been honoured with a memorial plague, unveiled in the Shankill Road Library.

Around 275 men and women from all parts of Ireland joined the International Brigades in the fight against fascism taking on the forces of Franco, Hitler, Mussolini , big business and the church.

The seven whose memory is now preserved in the commemorative plaque were William Beattie, Bill Henry, James Hillen, William Laughran, Joseph Lowry, Henry McGrath, and Andrew Molyneaux.

The plague was unveiled by May Blood following the International Brigade Commemortaion Committee AGM

Picture: John Lowry, Workers Party General Secretary talking with the nephew of Henry McGrath who was killed at Sierra Cabals in September 1938

Bogus ‘civil rights’ warning

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An Integrated society and an integrated future

Chris Bailie: an integrated society and an integrated future

Bogus ‘civil rights’ warning

Workers Party representative for the Oldpark area Chris Bailie has warned against groups which mislead people with populist sounding programmes which merely mask their real agenda.

Speaking following a demonstration billed as a ‘march for nationalist civil rights’, Mr Bailie said,

“North Belfast urgently needs investment in social and economic projects, in our environment and in housing and education”,

“But the first steps to achieving that much needed investment have to be recognising and treating each other as citizens – not as catholic or protestants, unionist or nationalists. Civil rights are rights for all citizens not for just for one section of society”, Chris  warned. “To claim otherwise is to use social concerns to hide the real divisive and sectarian intent behind this demonstration”, he said.

“The key to making real progress in north Belfast – for  all its citizens – is to work towards an integrated society, with integrated housing, integrated education and an integrated future”, Chris concluded