Army jobs fair ban: Stormont department will scrap funding for future Derry City and Strabane Council events unless block lifted, says DUP leader Gavin Robinson
A Stormont department will pull funding from future Derry City and Strabane Council events unless a block on the army appearing at a jobs fair is lifted, DUP leader Gavin Robinson has said.
Accusing Nationalist councillors in the area of acting out of prejudice and discriminatory attitudes in bringing in the ban, the East Belfast MP stated Communities Minister Gordon Lyons will refuse applications for money from the council in future.
The Department for Communities (DfC) has contributed cash towards the jobs fair, which takes place today (October 9) from 11am to 2pm in Londonderry’s council-owned Foyle Arena leisure centre.
Money for today’s event won’t be affected, but Mr Robinson is adamant the council won’t get any from the DfC for future jobs fairs while the army ban is in place.
A political row exploded last week, with Sinn Fein and SDLP councillors lashing out at the idea of the army having a stall at the event. Yesterday the Ministry of Defence confirmed the military would not appear, stating officials are “disappointed that the British Army will not be allowed to join other organisations” at the jobs fair.
Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster’s Stephen Nolan Show this morning, Mr Robinson said his party colleague Mr Lyons would not hand out any more funding to Derry City and Strabane Council while the army ban is in place.
Said the DUP leader: “Gordon Lyons as Minister for Communities will not be accepting, and he will be indicating to his department, he will not be accepting funding applications from councils that cannot adhere to their legal obligations.
“That means that they should be able to provide public services without discrimination, without political bias, without discriminatory practices, which in Londonderry of all cities, the city where they talk about civil rights, I’m afraid their councillors have not lived up to that mark at all.”
He went on to accuse First Minister Michelle O’Neill of “sipping champagne with the commander in chief of the armed forces” while Sinn Fein “denies opportunities to the young people of Londonderry”.
Stating that he has never believed her claims that she is a ‘First Minister for all’, Mr Robinson said: “She needs to understand that there’s more than just her own backyard that live in Northern Ireland.
“There are people in Northern Ireland that have the right to live without political discrimination, the right to purse opportunities that are not suppressed because of naked sectarianism.
“They have the right to understand and engage with the armed forces if that’s what they choose to do – and if others don’t, they can walk on by.”
The DUP leader argued that “not one public body should be operating through the prism of prejudice or political discrimination”, adding: “It’s not beyond the pale to suggest that our councils and our public bodies and our councils should operate within the law, in a non-discriminatory way, in a way that protects minorities. What’s controversial about that?”
Nationalists have a majority on Derry City and Strabane Council, with Unionist parties making up around 20% of the body. Mr Robinson argued Nationalist politicians “rail against majoritarianism” yet “when they have the majority, they show no grace and no favour to their minority neighbours.”
The DfC and Derry City and Strabane Council have both been contacted.