14 October 2004 Edition

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DUP Mayor gets just desserts

The Democratic Unionist Mayor of Lisburn, Cecil Calvert, has been forced into an embarrassing u-turn after council officials issued invitations to the council's four Sinn Féin members to attend the mayor's installation dinner.

Calvert originally snubbed the council's largest nationalist party when he invited all Lisburn Council members, bar Sinn Féin, to the dinner. However, Sinn Féin Councillor Paul Butler sought legal advice on the matter and accused Calvert of discrimination.

Speaking to An Phoblacht, Butler explained that the whole issue was never about attending the dinner. "This was about the the DUP trying to operate a policy of discrimination and exclusion against our party by his refusal to invite Sinn Féin. His decision was another example of the DUP's sectarian policies."

The Sinn Féin rep added that the reversal was forced because Calvert's actions breached council guidelines, rather than him showing respect for the democratic entitlements of the Sinn Féin electorate.

"Sinn Féin has been campaigning against the sectarian policies of Lisburn Council for many years and we consider the mayor's u-turn over the invitations as justification of that campaign," said Butler.

Meanwhile, an unrepentant Calvert was continuing to dismiss reports of his u-turn. "As mayor it is my prerogative who I invite," said Calvert. He insisted he had still not invited Sinn Féin, citing the technicality that the invites were issued not by him but by the council's chief executive.

This is the second mayoral dinner around which Sinn Féin councillors and their guests have been subjected to unionist sectarianism. Two years ago, during the proceedings, Jeffrey Donaldson's personal assistant shouted sectarian and sexual abuse at Sinn Féin councillors and their partners as guests sat at their meal. At the time, Donaldson was a member of the UUP.


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