We have documents showing that Invest NI has given over £11 million pounds of public money to two companies based in Crumlin, Newtownabbey and Dunmurry that make parts for F-35 war planes - the very ones which are raining bombs down on Gaza. Crumlin and Newtownabbey based company RLC Group, and Dunmurry based company RFD Beaufort Limited are named by Campaigns Against the Arms Trade as manufacturers of parts for the F-35 fighter jets. And what’s more, the UK arms industry produces 15% of every one of those jets that are made, including the 39 being used by Israel’s to bomb Gaza. There’s a real chance that our money has been used to support companies involved in aiding Israel. But here’s the thing - we don’t know for sure. Because, despite Freedom of Information requests and journalists asking questions for us - Invest NI won’t tell us if those companies are supplying Israel. Economy Minister Conor Murphy, who is in charge of Invest NI, needs to come clean, and reveal if our money is being given to companies aiding the slaughter in Gaza.

Black people around the world have been subject to colonial rule, the atrocities of the transatlantic slave trade, and the effects of white supremacy culture. Capitalism and the immense wealth of the global north was built on stolen labor, ongoing colonisation and violent dispossession at the hand of white supremacy against people of African descent and Indigenous peoples. The condition of Black and Indigenous people and throughout the world today must be placed in its proper historical context. The recent grassroots uprisings across the globe are powerful and demonstrate how fed up Black communities are with systemic oppression and racism. These protests demand not just an end to Black suffering and death but a commitment to help Black people live and thrive, to shift from a world centered on white supremacy and violence to one grounded in equity and justice. This moment demands that each of us—especially those of us who are not Black or Indigenous—act with great urgency in defense of Black lives, to support the work of ending police brutality and white supremacy, and to bring forth a world in which Black people are truly free and liberated. While the Black experience and fight for justice around the world are as varied and diverse as Black people themselves, we stand in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives and call on elected leaders around the globe to end the war against Black people.

Right now, the Integrated Education Bill is going through the NI Assembly - but those opposed to integrated education are misleading schools and parents, telling them the Bill will harm existing schools - it won't. The Bill can pass if enough parties support it - and what the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) do will be crucial. Last month, Doug Beattie, the UUP Leader, signalled his support for integrated education and said "Northern Ireland has been blighted by division.. and yet we don't take the brave steps to try and deal with that division...we need to end educational apartheid which is taking place here in Northern Ireland." We need Doug and his MLAs to support the Integrated Education Bill, and resist attempts by the Bill's opponents to sign a "Petition of Concern" - an Assembly motion that would doom the Bill. Write now and tell Doug how you feel!

Citibank, who are facilitating the supply of billions of pounds of Israeli weapons and enabling the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians, [1] are also one of the main sponsors of this year's Belfast Pride Festival - the biggest LGBTQIA+ event in the city. This is pinkwashing at its very worst - using Belfast Pride and our LGBTQIA+ community to distract from their brutal business practices. Not only are they supporting weapons deals, Citibank is also funding several fossil fuel companies to drill for gas off Gaza, [3] - as thousands of innocent people are being massacred, and famine looms [4] as a result of Israel’s brutal siege. Israel has no right to grant licenses to companies to drill for oil or gas in the Palestinian territory. Fossil fuels have always been tied up with war and to extract oil and gas from a region whose population are being starved to death and brutally murdered, is a war crime. We demand that Belfast Pride Festival drops Citibank as one of its main sponsors! [1] https://www.bankingonsolidarity.org/citibank-and-palestinians-a-cruel-status-quo/ [2] https://fossilfreeciti.org/ [3] https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/3/6/israel-is-pillaging-not-just-gazas-cities-but-also-its-waters [4] https://www.politico.eu/article/famine-is-imminent-gaza-un-food-israel-hamas-hunger/

The news is full of reports on illegal gatherings. However it’s clear that the only group being punished through the hastily approved enforcement powers under Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 are those standing up for racial justice. Eight race hate crimes are reported every day in Northern Ireland. Black Lives Matter protesters last month took a huge stand against racism, and now the PSNI is punishing them for it.

It is both astonishing and shocking that Mr Campbell watched this deeply moving edition of Songs of Praise, full of love and praise for God, and saw only skin colour. Is he uncomfortable watching a programme where Black British people and culture are celebrated centre-stage? Did he think the BBC was racist when other programmes – night after night, decade after decade – only featured white people? We call upon Mr Campbell to provide any evidence that the five singers were there on the basis of anything other than their obvious skills, or that the three judges were selected for their skin colour rather than their expertise. Mr Campbell’s statement is not a trivial matter; it is deeply irresponsible. It is deeply worrying that Mr Campbell can confidently display such clear bias, apparently without fear of challenge or accountability. Given his role as an elected representative and public servant, Mr Campbell’s statement cannot go unchallenged; the potential costs are too high. Just weeks since the horrific attack on the Belfast Multicultural Association, it is alarming that a political leader thinks it appropriate to use this kind of race-baiting to secure some sort of perceived political advantage, regardless of the consequences. Black and ethnic minority people are not ‘other’; they are equal citizens in an increasingly diverse country, including in Mr Campbell’s constituency. He needs to withdraw his ignorant and insulting post and make a full public apology to the Black and minority ethnic community of his constituency and beyond. But on its own, that will not be enough. Mr Campbell’s statement shows contempt for The Executive Office’s professed vision of “a united community, based on equality of opportunity, the desirability of good relations and reconciliation - one which is strengthened by its diversity, where cultural expression is celebrated and embraced and where everyone can live, learn, work and socialise together, free from prejudice, hate and intolerance.” As First Minister, Arlene Foster is responsible for advancing this vision. As Mr Campbell’s party leader, we expect her to ensure that he is held accountable for his words. Failure to do so will mean the words of that Executive vision will ring hollow. Meanwhile, we commit ourselves to challenging racism and building a society that fully respects and celebrates diversity.

We should not have a statute of a white supremacist proudly on show in Northern Ireland. It should be removed as a mark of solidarity and support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Over 500,000 Roma, Gypsy and Travellers were killed in the Holocaust. This content is an insult to those who died, and those who still mourn them. #StopTravellerHate #