DUP accuse Sinn Fein of hypocrisy as council row breaks out over persecution of Christians

A DUP motion concerning the Open Doors World Watch List 2026, which highlights the deaths of Christians because of their religion, led to a war of words at the monthly meeting of the City Council, with Sinn Féin raising points about the Holy Cross controversy, which saw its 25th anniversary this week.

The DUP failed to have their motion adopted, after a Sinn Féin amendment, highlighting persecution for all religions, was passed in the chamber.

The DUP original motion states: “Belfast City Council notes with profound concern that more than 388 million Christians around the world face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.”

The motion called for the council to formally condemn “the persecution, discrimination and violence faced by Christians around the world” and write to the UK Government to press the Nigerian Government for action to protect Christians.

The Sinn Féin amendment states: “The council acknowledges that Christians continue to experience persecution and discrimination in many parts of the world. It equally recognises the persecution faced by people from other religious traditions, as well as those targeted because they hold no religious belief."

The motion adds the council “notes with deep concern the rise in hate crime and hate incidents across the North, particularly those directed towards minority ethnic communities, religious communities and members of the LGBT+ community.”

DUP Alderman Dean McCullough, who forwarded the original motion, said: “I have no difficulty in condemning persecution, hatred or discrimination against anyone. If members wish to bring motions on those issues, they are perfectly entitled to do so.

“But this motion is about the persecuted church. Christians being imprisoned, displaced and killed because of their faith. The amendment doesn’t strengthen the motion, it dilutes it.

“And the public will quite rightly ask, why? Why can this council not have one motion, in a city built on the unshakeable foundations of Christianity, about the persecuted church?

“What this amendment exposes is Sinn Féin’s unwillingness to let this council speak clearly and unequivocally for persecuted Christians. I can’t say I am surprised, Sinn Féin have gone so far left we can barely even see them.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie told the chamber: “I don’t know if the DUP are aware of the history of this city, but if you go back 25 years ago, a primary school in North Belfast, Holy Cross had Christian children being attacked going to school.

“They had urine thrown at them, bottles thrown at them, stones, bricks and pipe bombs thrown at them. Where were the unionist politicians? Out with the protestors. They did not protect the young Christians children who were going to school.”

DUP Alderman James Lawlor said there was “hypocrisy” from the Sinn Féin benches.

He said: “It was the party opposite that said there was no alternative to the Provisional IRA going into Gospel Halls across Northern Ireland and inflicting maximum damage on the Protestant population within those halls.”

TUV Councillor Ron McDowell said: “There is nothing wrong with a motion highlighting a particular plight of a particular people.

"To suggest on this occasion that we can’t do it on this occasion, and that we have to broaden it out across the spectrum is grossly unfair.” He said the council had “a history of promoting single issue causes.”