By Iain Gray

Copyright newsletter

Arguing that for unionist and loyalist parts of Belfast, the new policy amounts to forcing an Irish identity on communities that don’t have one, the party’s councillor Ron McDowell said: “The bottom line is, we’re not Irish. We don’t have an Irish identity, we don’t want it. “We are going to fight tooth and nail to protect our own identity.” During the council’s debate on the issue on Wednesday night, the representative for the Court district in the north-west of the city said his community, identity and people “are going to be subjugated” by the policy. “That’s strong language, but I believe it and I stand by it,” he said. “Where do we exist, and where are we represented in this city?” Rolling out the policy to eventually cover every part of Belfast, as is planned, would be “suffocating” and “all-consuming” he said, adding: “This is going to enforce an Irish language identity, heritage, and culture right across this city, where there are hundreds of thousands of people who identify as Ulster British or Ulster Scots citizens. “Their identity, their options, and their way of life aren’t being protected within this.” Pointing out that Belfast’s is demographically split – either metaphorically by cultural and community divides, or literally by peace walls – Mr McDowell said there are “entire communities that live together, work together, and play together”. “This city council is going to roll out dual language policies to all parks,” he said. “So parks used by Ulster British citizens with an Ulster British minority identity won’t be allowed to enjoy an area of their choosing, because of a policy designed by people who don’t live in the area, policy-makers not from the area, who are going to impose their way of life upon a people who don’t want it.” The TUV deputy leader went on to reveal that his party has already taken legal advice about the language policy, and are prepared to go as far as it takes to undo it. “There will be a successful call-in against this,” he said. “Any attempt to frustrate the call-in will be subject to a judicial review. We are going to fight this tooth and nail to protect our own identity.”