Ethnic minorities urged to use their vote

The Women’s Coalition has called on people from ethnic minorities to vote on Wednesday, so their voices would be heard in Northern Irish politics.

Equality spokesperson and North Belfast candidate, Eliz Byrne McCullough said politics in Northern Ireland had ignored minority racial and religious groups for too long and that parties that focus exclusively on the nationalist or unionist community often do not address the problems faced by ethnic minorities, like racist attacks, discrimination and mono-cultural education.

“As a cross-community party, the Women’s Coalition seeks to ensure equal representation for all groups in Northern Ireland. We have worked with ethnic minority community and women’s groups to hear first hand their needs and experiences," Mrs McCullough said.

“We have called for the extension of hate crime legislation and welcomed the Secretary of State’s announcement that it would be brought in. But it takes more than legal changes to tackle racism in Northern Ireland.

"We want diversity training for the police, legal professions and teachers.

Measures to encourage people from ethnic minorities to join public bodies and the police services are also important," she concluded.

(MB)