Irish language protest continued. #belfast #translink

NEW: Irish language protest at the new Grand Central Station in Belfast

Irish language activists protesting at the lack of dual language signage in the new Grand Central Station in Belfast. Fáile signs is about the height of it.

Irish language rights activists demo concludes #belfast ENDS/Críoch

Press release @dreamdearg: “MINISTER O’DOWD MUST DIRECT TRANSLINK TO INSTALL DUAL-LANGUAGE SIGNAGE AT NEW GRAND CENTRAL STATION" Protest at new station as Irish language community call on Infrastructure Minister to intervene and compel Translink to fulfil Irish language obligations Members of the Irish language community, local groups and local schools convened a Dream Dearg protest today at the newly opened Grand Central Station in Belfast. The protest comes after the station was officially launched on Monday of this week without dual-language signage.  Eoghan Ó Gairmile, spokesperson for An Dream Dearg, said: “We were bitterly disappointed to see the new Grand Central station launched on Monday without any dual-language provision. The Irish language community has been engaging with Translink and the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) since 2022 to ensure dual-language signage was factored into the design phase as early as possible, to avoid any future retrospective costs of adding additional signage. Translink have continuously deflected and ignored their obligations in providing dual-language provision. First of all they told us they couldn’t do anything without direction from a Minister, then when the Minister advised them to go ahead, they told us they couldn’t do so without an Irish language Commissioner. In addition to that Ministerial advice, we had Belfast City Council passing a motion in favour of bilingual signage at weavers cross and local and national language groups lobbying both Translink and the Department.” “We are clear that the current ‘English-only’ approach is in direct contravention of the European Charter for Regional Minority Languages, which has been adopted in Policy by DfI, and which also applies to Translink as a public service provider. Given the time already afforded to Translink, the amount of statutory, political and community support given to them to implement a dual-language approach, and their ultimate decision to exclude Irish from all of their core signage, we believe the only way to ensure that approach is not overturned is through a Ministerial Directive. Language rights are not up for debate. Translink should not have a veto to exclude the rights of an entire section of this community. The Minister must now intervene and ensure this multi-million monolingual monolith is transformed into an all-island beacon of equality based on mutual respect for both the Irish language and the English language, side by side.” Earlier this year: •Belfast City Council passed a motion calling on Translink to make comprehensive dual-language signage and provision throughout the new station; •Infrastructure Minister supported the call for dual-language signage in the centre; •Over 20 local Irish language groups sent a public letter to Minister O’Dowd urging the Minister to ensure the new station would be dual-language, in keeping with the dual-language Translink train station in Newry; •Members of Conradh na Gaeilge and Foras na Gaeilge met with Translink CEO Chris Conway to support the community demand for dual-language signage throughout the centre

Is the singing of rebel songs a positive contribution to the protest? A song about routing foreigners?

fucking me man the fucking state of this