- Ulster Unionist Party will not give a blank cheque to Gerry Adams for discrimination against non-Irish speakers
- Equality and respect need to be shown to all communities
- Obligations to Irish Language under Belfast Agreement have been fulfilled
Ulster Unionist leader, Robin Swann MLA, said:
“If Gerry Adams believes that an Irish Language Act is more important than the health of our people and the education of our children, that`s up to him. Once again, he is also engaged in re-writing history. He needs to start dealing in facts. No matter how many times he says otherwise, obligations to the Irish Language made under the Belfast Agreement have been fulfilled. We never made any commitments to an Irish Language Act. If Gerry Adams believes that others have made commitments in subsequent agreements, then he should take that up with them.
“The Irish Language should be de-politicised so, unlike other parties, we will certainly not be giving Gerry Adams a blank cheque for discrimination against non-Irish speakers, bi-lingual signage on every street and road sign in Northern Ireland nor power for an Irish Language commissioner to prosecute those who don`t comply with a Sinn Fein diktat. I was disappointed, but not surprised to see others allowing Gerry Adams to act as a spokesperson for them today.
“I believe that equality and respect should be shown to all communities, not merely used as words to attempt to break one community or another.”