Speaking on the Stephen Nolan show yesterday Nick Griffin brought his BNP rhetoric to Northern Ireland, including saying that there was no “democratic mandate” for the influx of foreign nationals into the Province.
While there may be a mandate for the number of people that come into Northern Ireland from elsewhere, there is however a democratic mandate for how they should be treated, in the Northern Ireland Act.
Section 75
Statutory duty on public authorities
(1)A public authority shall in carrying out its functions relating to Northern Ireland have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity—
(a)between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;
(b)between men and women generally;
(c)between persons with a disability and persons without; and
(d)between persons with dependants and persons without.
(2)Without prejudice to its obligations under subsection (1), a public authority shall in carrying out its functions relating to Northern Ireland have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.
Of course this was in the Belfast Agreement so therefore racial equality was democratically mandated by the people of this island for Northern Ireland on 23rd May 1988.
So when Griffen went on to say:
“When you see a town changing from something which is, in fact, divided among Protestants and Catholics, and when you go there 25 years later and whole areas of it look like Africa or China, you know there is a problem.”
Yes the problem is you Mr Griffen, speaking against the democratic will of the people that all people should be treated equally is the problem.
