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Good morning John

This week, Belfast City Hall witnessed the latest aggressive and intentionally provocative move by the pan-republican movement. The same parties who refused to light up City Hall as a mark of respect to the victims of the October 7^th massacre banded together to hoist the Palestinian flag purely to score a political point. Sinn Fein, SDLP, Greens, and independent Councillors voted to impose their agenda on the people of Belfast, including our Jewish community, who had expressed deep concern and hurt at the over this decision.

We have seen similar measures in other councils, particularly in the west, demonstrating disregard for the rights and voices of the minority unionist community. Those who for decades railed against majoritarianism have embraced it when they sit as a majority and abandon any semblance of the balance, fairness or inclusivity they demanded in the past.

Such issues are not limited to our Council chambers. In the Assembly Sinn Fein have repeatedly failed to give a full account about the incident which saw the portrait of Lord Wallace Browne damaged. The Infrastructure Minister’s party has also erected signage in Newry in flagrant breach of planning laws. These incidents illustrate a wider culture of arrogance and entitlement, where some appear to believe the law should not apply to them.

It is against this backdrop that unionism must stand together. In City Hall, unionist representatives have set aside party differences to work collectively for the communities we serve. This unity must be mirrored across every council and at Stormont.

There is an opportunity for unionism to stand united at Stormont in the coming days. Next week a Sinn Fein motion will be debated which calls for local elected representatives to be granted ‘observer status’ in the European Parliament. That is a fundamental issue regarding Northern Ireland’s constitutional position and therefore in keeping with the terms of the Belfast and St Andrews Agreements, any vote should require cross-community support.

Yesterday, we lodged a Petition of Concern which is open for signatures. We are encouraging those who value the Union to work with us to reject this Sinn Fein motion which is advanced by those who wish now to govern by simple majority regardless of the views of unionists.

We may feel bruised by such events, but unionists should work to harness and channel the energy it creates amongst many within the community to deliver a positive outcome for Northern Ireland and our place within the United Kingdom. Believe it or not, on Christmas Day it will be less than 500 days until the next Assembly and council elections. These elections will set the tone for the balance of power in Stormont, Belfast City Hall, and Council chambers across Northern Ireland for the following four to five years.

That matters if you want to see Northern Ireland move in a more positive direction. That matters if you want Councillors focused on fighting for ratepayers rather than fighting wars in the Middle East. That matters if you want to see pro-Union representation maximised.

Apathy amongst unionists, or more damagingly a unionism focused on insular in-fighting only strengthens Sinn Fein’s ability to push its sectarian, divisive, anti-British agenda. For those who vote for Alliance in the belief they will not engage in such behaviour, the experience of recent years has shown that to be a costly mistake.

The lesson is clear: we must act with courage in the face of such increasingly antagonistic behaviour. It is deliberately designed to demoralise, but we must use it to demonstrate that not only can unionism work together in the face of such actions, but that we offer better leadership and a better alternative. We can and must be a force that protects our communities, our heritage, and our place within the United Kingdom.

By working together we can ensure that unionisms voice is heard. That has already happened over recent days. The only way to make a real difference however is to make sure that more and more people make their voice heard in the most powerful way possible – through the ballot box and their vote.

Yours sincerely,

Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson MP

DUP Leader

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