1. Leadership The worst times bring out the best in people, and we saw that this week. Community organisations and ordinary people from every background, community and colour stepped in to support their neighbours when statutory services failed: evacuating people from burning homes, offering refuge and essential supplies, and transport to exams and appointments. We demand: • Concrete plans on anti-racism and refugee integration • Multi-agency, joined-up emergency response to the levels of crisis. • Proactive leadership to combat racism and stereotyping 2. Justice Currently, there are no specific offences in law for prejudice-motivated crimes, including hate crimes. Yet, annual PSNI statistics show that race hate crime in Northern Ireland has reached its highest level since records began. We demand: • Enact hate crime legislation • Effective racial equality law • Accountability of public authorities 3. Investment We know what we need in our communities, and we know what keeps us safe - decent work, access to healthcare, investment and youth and community services. Now, we need our political representatives to work together and deliver for everyone who calls here home. Migrants and other minoritised communities cannot be scapegoats for these institutional failures. We demand: • Investment in migrant-led organisations • Investment in community services • Investment in social housing

Moyola Precision Engineering is a known manufacturer of components for the F-35 fighter jet program. These aircraft are actively used by Israel as the primary delivery system for the bombardment of Gaza, a genocide that has killed over 20,000 children since 2023. Expanding this facility implicates our community in these ongoing atrocities. We urge Mid Ulster Council to immediately review and reverse this planning decision, honor its BDS commitments, and stop promoting the arms trade in our community. Not in our name. Not with our taxes. Fund our services, not war. Please sign and share this petition to demand accountability and protect the moral integrity of our district!

Thales is complicit in supplying Israel’s drones for use in its genocidal campaign against the people of Palestine. It is heavily interlinked with Elbit Systems to do so. Thales also provides other indirect supports to the Israeli military & intelligence services. Politicians across Ireland should be rejecting all such applications, investments & state support for firms complicit in genocide & warmongering, alongside divestment & ending government support. To add insult to injury, this development comes downstream of Thales receiving a £1.6B investment deal from the British Treasury for missile production in the North of Ireland. The plans form part of a £100m spend from Thales to expand their facilities regionally. When workers & the public services they rely on are on their knees we are seeing warfare instead of welfare. We need homes, healthcare, not bombs! We must spread word as to Thales complicity and to prevent the applications succeeding due to flying under the radar. A mass campaign involving many people makes it less likely they can succeed.

Here are some of the main reasons why this application should be rejected: Health Incinerators are a known source of harmful and persistent pollutants, many of which are bio accumulators that have well documented links to a range of respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive and immune system related illnesses. Agriculture & Fisheries The development is proposed in a location surrounded by lands used for grazing livestock and cultivating crops. As above, given the potential emissions there are serious concerns about the potential impact on animal health and the food chain, especially considering the proposal to handle medical and veterinary waste. The proposed site is located in the Blackwater valley close to the Blackwater River - a popular angling resource that outfalls to Lough Neagh. Natural & Built Heritage The site is in an area with a rich biodiversity and historical heritage: close to Milltown & Benburb local wildlife sites; Benburb village; Milltown Valley Heritage Centre; Ulster Canal; Benburb Priory & Castle; and the Battle of Benburb battle site. Economics The development has the potential to adversely impact: property valuations; future residential planning; and the well-established agricultural economy and tourism potential in the area. Traffic The site can only be accessed via single lane roads that are already in poor condition and busier than ever before. Development would increase the pressure on the traffic infrastructure and related road safety. Nuisance The proposed 24/7 operation presents potential risk to the health and well-being of local residents due to noise, vibration, stress, as well as odour and vermin commonly associated with such installations.    Further information can be viewed at: Website: www.raincampaign.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/rainbenburb Instagram: www.instagram.com/rain_campaign

Sand dredging is killing Lough Neagh. First-of-its-kind research linked commercial sand dredging of Lough Neagh to the toxic blue-green algae blooms, habitat destruction and more. This kind of mining causes irreversible damage to the Loughs' precious ecosystem. Meanwhile, dredging and construction companies are profiting from Lough Neagh’s destruction.  And the Earl of Shaftesbury - owner of the Lough’s bed and banks - earns a royalty fee for every tonne of sand the companies extract. When the SDLP minister ignored environmentalists and legalised dredging in 2020, they argued that legalising would be benecifial, however recent news has shown gross violations far beyond limits. The more these companies mine Lough Neagh for sand, the more this damage multiplies, and with the Shaftesbury Estate having a contract with the mining industry up until 2046, this could go on for decades more.  Stormont has acted on mining before. Earlier this year, it passed legislation banning filthy fracking - only because of relentless pressure from people and grassroots group. We call on Infrastructure Minister to ban sand dredging today. Demands for an independent enquiry into the effects of sand dredging have been ignored. Studies have identified deep scars, including 17 metre cavities and long-term disruption to sediment systems, which can release stored nutrients, potentially exacerbating algal blooms. We reiterate our campaign demands for a moratorium on extraction of our finite glacial sand in Lough Neagh. 🚨 Join the March for Lough Neagh, Sunday May 17th, 12:30pm, The Battery Bar to Ardboe High Cross!! 🚨 And join the Film Festival & Conference in Lurgan the weekend beforehand saveloughneagh.com

I don't think we should be showing support for Donald Trump. I would like the golfing community to try and get the DP World Tour to move the event to somewhere else.

Under the current leadership team, our council has presided over a series of costly failures that demonstrate fundamental governance breakdown: The Mourne Gateway Project • Initial proposal for Slieve Donard rejected by National Trust due to environmental concerns and failure to properly engage with public • Announcement of intention to relocate project to Kilbroney Forest Park made without public consultation or formal approval from elected representatives •  Repetition of fundamental governance errors; e.g., failing to obtain landowner permission before making public announcements or committing budgets • Wasting at least £1.35m on failed attempts, and putting £30m of funding from Belfast Region City Deal at risk • Newry and Downpatrick Flood Response • Inadequate preparation despite known flood risks • Delayed and insufficient emergency response to affected residents and businesses • Failure to distribute financial support to flood victims • No evidence of lessons learned or improved emergency protocols Newry Civic Hub • Ongoing cost overruns beyond initial budgets • Submission of incorrect planning applications by the Council as planning authority • Use of confidential legal advice to bypass public scrutiny • Inability to demonstrate value-for-money or explain site selection process • Repeated dismissal of public concerns, including over 2,600 letters of objection Warrenpoint Port  • Multi-year failure to address documented public health nuisance • Inability to enforce existing environmental regulations • Ongoing impact on residents' quality of life without resolution These project failures are not isolated incidents but evidence of systemic problems within our council, namely: • Lack of Transparency: Routine use of "confidential" designations to avoid public accountability • Inadequate or Non-Existent Community Engagement: Major decisions announced without meaningful consultation or recognition of ratepayers’ needs • Poor Financial Management: Millions squandered on unviable projects without adequate due diligence • Disregard for Expert Advice: Proceeding with projects despite widely documented environmental, technical and governance concerns The current council leadership has demonstrably failed in their duty to manage public resources responsibly and serve community interests. We therefore call upon the councillors of Newry, Mourne and Down to: • Pass a vote of no confidence in the council leadership • Establish an independent investigation into council governance failures, with the final report being made available to the public • Implement urgent transparency measures to prevent future abuse of confidential procedures The time for excuses has passed. We demand action now.

The new rules include: • huge income and salary thresholds that will separate thousands of families, • restrictions on dependants, • temporary refugee status that must be renewed every 30 months, • retroactive ILR changes that break the rule of law, • expanded deportation powers, and • a ban on settlement for anyone who has ever accessed “public funds” — including emergency housing after racist attacks, riots, or domestic violence, and legal aid for cases against abusive employers or hate crime. These measures put entire communities at risk and undermine the human rights protections guaranteed under the Good Friday Agreement. We are calling for: • protection for everyone already living in the UK, • reversal of the 11 November changes, • an end to retroactive immigration rules, • an end to temporary refugee status reviews, • and the dismantling of the Hostile Environment. Sign now to stand with families, workers, and communities — and stop these harmful changes. Signed by:  • Queerde Palestine  • Progressive Politics NI • My Way Access • United Against Racism Derry & North West • Fridays for Future NI • Rainbow Refugees NI • Comitato Informales 25 Aprile  • Croí for Change  • North West Migrants Forum • Save the Moat • Melted Parents  • Causeway Pride • IPSC Belfast • People Before Profit • Green Party NI • Gerry Carroll MLA • Parents for Inclusive Education  • Socialist Party NI • ROSA • Plot Twist Film Club • Plot Twist Craftivism Communities • United Against Racism Belfast 

Over 74,000 residents in Northern Ireland cannot vote in our national elections - and over 12,000 residents in Northern Ireland have no right to vote at all. These are our neighbours, friends and colleagues who live, work and call Northern Ireland their home. Yet, they do not have the right to vote and participate in our democracy. Change is possible. Scotland and Wales have already extended the right to vote to all their residents. Westminster will soon be introducing an Elections Bill - extending the franchise to 16-17 year olds in national elections across the UK. We want this electoral reform to extend the vote to all residents - regardless of where they were born. We want Stormont to pass a motion in support of extending the franchise. To show Westminster that we recognise the importance of making sure that everyone who lives, and has a stake in our society, gets to have a say in how they are governed. To show that we want Votes for All.

3 counties have already pushed the GAA to drop Allianz. Join the stand against genocide and for the upholding of international law.  Stand with Tyrone and Fermanagh’s recent decisions to support the motion. 

Receiving a nutritious, hot meal in school has huge benefits for children and young people. Nutrition is crucial for concentration, learning and physical health. School meals are particularly important for children from low income families, helping them get a decent start in life and tackling inequality. Unfortunately, many families on low incomes do not qualify for Free School Meals and so the cost of paying is already a struggle. An increase of 20% will cause a lot of stress and could make it impossible for some families to keep buying meals for their children in school. As the cost of living continues to rise and the Northern Ireland Executive is promising to tackle poverty, it is appalling that the Education Authority would be forced to increase the cost of school meals. At a time when the UK Government is increasing its investment in school meals in England and expanding access to Free School Meals, families here in NI should not have to face higher costs. We call on the Education Minister Paul Givan to fund school meals as a priority in the education budget and stop this price increase.

Currently F-35 warplanes are carrying out a  genocide in Gaza. On our doorstep in South Derry, components are being manufactured for those very warplanes.