Belfast city council in uproar

antrim | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday February 04, 2004 13:56 by Belfast

Anti Racism motion causes sectarian division

Anti racism was the issue to bring about sectarian clashes at Belfast city council yesterday

An anti racism motion condemning racist attacks lead to uproar and sectarian clashes in Belfast city hall chambers last night.

In some of the most heated scenes seen in years in Belfast’s council chamber Nationalists and Unionists went at it tooth and nail at each others throats. It eventually got so intense that the Lord Mayor of Belfast had to adjourn the meeting. When it resumed a compromise motion condemning all racists’ attacks was put forward but the SDLP refused to withdraw the original motion which had linked loyalist paramilitaries to the recent attacks. So it went into uproar again

With the chamber now in pandemonium the meeting had to be called to an abrupt end with no motion passed and with each side of the divide shouting and accusing the other side as condoners of racism

What a lesson of sectarian division over the issue of an anti racism motion for political representatives to send society who had only just rallied against racism.