Belfast Newsletter's latest attack on the GAA

[Eamonnca1]

I don't know what's more pathetic, a paper that only ever mentions the GAA when they can dig up something negative to say about it, or the BNP-supporting comments at the end of the story:

BNP make equality complaint against GAA

Published on Monday 18 February 2013 08:57

The British National Party in Northern Ireland has written a letter of complaint about the GAA to the Equality Commission.

BNP regional organiser for Northern Ireland, Steven Moore, claims in the letter that the GAA "is likely to be in breach of The Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998".

He has alleged that the GAA seeks to exclude unionists by flying the Irish flag at grounds and singing the Irish national anthem at matches.

"Furthermore," Mr Moore writes, "some GAA grounds are named after prominent Republicans and have been used for Republican anti-British political commemorations contrary to the Association's own rules.

"This creates an environment where unionists will feel intimidated, threatened and of less value than other citizens, because of their national identity.

"Effectively they are excluded from attending or participating in GAA in Northern Ireland."

Scraping the bottom of the barrel much?

[BennyCake]

Newsletter? I wouldn't wipe me arse with it.

Who cares what the BBC, Newsletter, BNP, DUP etc think or write anyway? The vast majority of unionists wouldn't want anything to do with the GAA, even without flags, anthem etc.

The GAA needs to worry about it's own members, players, supporters instead of wasting time trying to please unionists, who will never be happy no matter how far they go.

[imtommygunn]

Pathetic.

[armaghniac]

BNP regional organiser for Northern Ireland, Steven Moore, claims in the letter that the GAA "is likely to be in breach of The Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998".
He has alleged that the GAA seeks to exclude unionists by flying the Irish flag at grounds and singing the Irish national anthem at matches.

Oh right, so any flying of a flag is prohibited by Fair Employment legislation. Someone should tell Belfast City Council, Translink etc.
This clarity could be helpful in the flegs debate.

[muppet]

BNP regional organiser for Northern Ireland, Steven Moore, claims in the letter that the GAA "is likely to be in breach of The Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998".
He has alleged that the GAA seeks to exclude unionists by flying the Irish flag at grounds and singing the Irish national anthem at matches.

Oh right, so any flying of a flag is prohibited by Fair Employment legislation. Someone should tell Belfast City Council, Translink etc.
This clarity could be helpful in the flegs debate.

Bingo.

Talk about be careful what you ask for.

If a Gaa match flying the tricolour is prohibited on equality grounds then what can of worms would that open? No 12th marches unless half of the participants are Catholics? No fleg protests unless both flegs included??

[Rossfan]

Presumably the IFA and its playing of the British National anthem will also be "in trouble".
As will of course the DUP and UUP who exclude Nationalists from their ranks by their policies ( and vice versa for SF, SDLP).

[Wildweasel74]

In that case i wanna joint the orange order under the same pretenses, dont see him complaining about that

[Farrandeelin]

Newsletter? I wouldn't wipe me arse with it.

Who cares what the BBC, Newsletter, BNP, DUP etc think or write anyway? The vast majority of unionists wouldn't want anything to do with the GAA, even without flags, anthem etc.

The GAA needs to worry about it's own members, players, supporters instead of wasting time trying to please unionists, who will never be happy no matter how far they go.

Bang on BennyCake. Especially your last paragraph.

[ck]

Newsletter? I wouldn't wipe me arse with it.

Who cares what the BBC, Newsletter, BNP, DUP etc think or write anyway? The vast majority of unionists wouldn't want anything to do with the GAA, even without flags, anthem etc.

The GAA needs to worry about it's own members, players, supporters instead of wasting time trying to please unionists, who will never be happy no matter how far they go.

Bang on BennyCake. Especially your last paragraph.

Disagree with BennyCake. We in GAA should always reach out and be inclusive, it's a threat to no-one least of all our own members. Just because a loyalist rag like the Newsletter chooses to promote BNP bigotry/bullshit does not mean that the GAA should discontinue its great work. As far as I'm concerned the likes of Willie Fraser and that flags young fella Bryson, Donaldson, Robinson and then Paisleys are all welcome into the GAA. They all are as Irish as we are even they can't see it. The GAA should always be the bigger organisation and be open and inclusive to everyone and let us all enjoy our sporting cultures together under the green, the white and the orange!

[Eamonnca1]

The Ulster Council have been working very hard to get more northern protestants involved in the GAA.  Hurling was brought across the Irish Sea to Scotland where it became Shinty.  It's part of their heritage.  Makes me sad when I see this kind of bigotry in print, undermines a lot of good work.

Danny Murphy has been good at reaching out to unionists like Basil McCrea who seem to have moderated their stance. Maybe a visit to the Newsletter's editorial staff would be in order.

[imtommygunn]

While i agree with the feeling sad such bigotry exists eamon i don't think it undermines anything.

No one with one ounce of sense would listen to a bnp complaint about equality.

[Eamonnca1]

My problem isn't so much with this article (only the knuckle-dragging flag protestors would voice support for the BNP, which they're doing in the comments if you can hold your nose long enough to read them), but my problem is with this paper's attitude to the GAA in general. They never mention the GAA at all unless they can find something negative or controversial to say about it. Any time a unionist politician goes to a GAA match it's reported with weasel words like "Gregory Campbell is planning to go to a GAA match, it has emerged." The subtle little digs just keep on coming.  No match reports, no results, not a word about any of the good community work that goes on. Just a constant drip drip drip of negativity and misinformation to reinforce the bigotry of their readership.  And whether we like it or not, people read that paper and it shapes opinions.

[ck]

While i agree with the feeling sad such bigotry exists eamon i don't think it undermines anything.

No one with one ounce of sense would listen to a bnp complaint about equality.

+1

The fact that the Newsletter includes comments from the BNP says allot. The BNP offer more to stand up comedy than the do to politics. The Newsletter isn't far behind

[imtommygunn]

My problem isn't so much with this article (only the knuckle-dragging flag protestors would voice support for the BNP, which they're doing in the comments if you can hold your nose long enough to read them), but my problem is with this paper's attitude to the GAA in general. They never mention the GAA at all unless they can find something negative or controversial to say about it. Any time a unionist politician goes to a GAA match it's reported with weasel words like "Gregory Campbell is planning to go to a GAA match, it has emerged." The subtle little digs just keep on coming.  No match reports, no results, not a word about any of the good community work that goes on. Just a constant drip drip drip of negativity and misinformation to reinforce the bigotry of their readership.  And whether we like it or not, people read that paper and it shapes opinions.

Reasonably minded people wouldn't either a) read it or b)pay heed to it.

Unfortunately the last few months have shown us there are a lot less reasonable people about than we'd hopef

[Itchy]

Pig and grunts spring to mind. So who cares what this glorified toilet roll prints.