Unionist Councillors in Belfast have rejected motion supported by nationalist representatives calling on Stormont to tackle “far-right radicalisation” among young men.
The motion was brought forward last Thursday in response to tensions over an attempted beheading in Belfast in June.
While the SDLP motion was successfully passed at Belfast City Hall earlier this month, one Unionist councillor slammed it as a “distraction,” adding that Sinn Fein and the SDLP had failed to truly define what they mean by using the term “far right.”
Cllr Alderman Dean A. McCullough also said it was unfair that only one form of extremism had been singled out in the motion.
The motion, put forward by Social Democratic and Labour Party Councillor Carl Whyte, was supported by all non-unionist parties, but was rejected by the DUP, UUV and the TUV.
It was specifically introduced in response to rioting and unrest that unfolded following the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie in June. The violent stabbing, in which Oglive lost an eye, is referred to in the motion, which says the council “condemns the recent knife attack and expresses its solidarity with those affected.”
The accused, Hadi Alodid, is a Sudanese national who has been charged with attempted murder as well as possession of a knife in a public place and threats to kill an NHS worker. The attack was widely reported as an attempted beheading.
Hadid, an asylum seeker, 31, is to stand trial for the attack which triggered anger across the North and became a major flashpoint in the debate over immigration and radicalisation.
The motion claims that attempts have been made to exploit the attack to “inflame racial tensions, spread hatred or justify violence against minority communities.”
“The council notes with alarm the growing challenge of the far-right, misogynistic and xenophobic radicalisation among young men,” was a section of text included in the motion, which called for engagement with young people on social media and online communities as well as gaming platforms.
‘A MAN THIS MOTION DOESN’T HAVE DECENCY TO NAME’
The proposal says that work should be undertaken “in the spaces where radicalisation increasingly takes place, including social media, online communities and gaming platforms”.
However, speaking to Gript, Democratic Unionist Party Councillor, Alderman Dean A. McCullough said that the motion was a distraction from a real conversation that needed to be had about uncontrolled immigration into Northern Ireland.
The councillor attacked the motion for leaving out mention of Ogilvie, “a man this motion doesn’t even have the decency to name.”
The unionist councillor criticised the motion for focusing on far-right radicalisation while failing to address the immigration or asylum circumstances surrounding the attack.
“This Motion is a distraction — and an incompetent one at that. While the SDLP, Sinn Fein, Alliance and others talk endlessly about the ‘far right’, a term they seem incapable of defining with any precision, the real conversation is about illegal, uncontrolled and mass immigration — and its impact across these islands,” the North Belfast representative said.
“It also singles out one form of extremism while making no reference whatsoever to far-left extremism, Islamist extremism or other genuine threats. Why? I have no doubt your readers will draw their own conclusions.”
‘HORRIFIC AND BARBARIC ATTACK’
“For the avoidance of doubt, I condemn genuine extremism in all its forms. My objection is to the selective and increasingly meaningless use of the term.
“And let us remember why we are even having this debate. It followed the horrific and barbaric attack on Stephen Ogilvie — a man this Motion does not even have the decency to name.
“Stephen was stabbed and slashed and left with life-changing injuries. That is the human reality of failed immigration policy. This is not simply bad policy on paper; the consequences can be catastrophic. There should be no more Stephen Ogilvies.”
87% to 90% of people seeking international protection in the Republic of Ireland are estimated to have crossed the land border from Northern Ireland.
Over the summer, the UK government promised to intensify its “crackdown” on illegal migrants living in Northern Ireland – with a government source telling the BBC that the Home Office was ramping up immigration enforcement to “track down, detain, arrest and remove illegal migrants.”
Some 1,000 illegal migrants are said to have been removed from Northern Ireland over the last 12 months amid pressure from Unionist politicians.
Public sentiment towards asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland has become markedly more negative in recent months.
Just 49% of adult respondents agreed that asylum seekers should be allowed to stay, down from 56% in 2024 and a peak of 70% in 2022.
57% agreed it is a societal duty to provide protection to refugees escaping persecution (down from previous years).
Just 41% agreed that refugees contribute to Northern Irish society.
Adult support dropped below 50% for the first time according to data from the The Executive Office and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
Mr McCullough said he had been increasingly contacted by people from “Catholic, nationalist and republican backgrounds” who feel “abandoned” by parties such as Sinn Fein and the SDLP.
“We may disagree profoundly on the Union and on plenty else, but on this we fundamentally agree: our borders should be controlled and our communities protected.
“So why not debate the underlying issue and how we prevent this happening again, rather than hide behind a political label that has almost lost all meaning?” asked Cllr McCullough.
“It is not far right to love your country, and it is not far right to care about your community. It is right. Nor is it far right to want secure borders.”