Sinn Féin want consultation on renaming Balfour Park in Lower Ormeau
A children’s playpark in Belfast has become the focus for the latest row between the DUP and Sinn Féin over Palestine and Israel.
The DUP have taken umbrage at a proposal by Sinn Féin for proposing a community consultation on the renaming of a playpark at Balfour Avenue in Lower Ormeau, a nationalist area in South Belfast.
During a heated exchange at a Belfast City Council meeting at City Hall this week, the DUP accused Sinn Féin of acting “coy” and “innocent” without revealing the full rationale behind a name change for the playpark, which is beside the Lagan Towpath.
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Arthur Balfour, was the British Prime Minister from 1902 to 1905. He is largely remembered today for the Balfour Declaration of 1917 when he was British Foreign Secretary. In a letter to Lord Rothschild, seen as a leader of the British Jewish community at the time, Balfour proposed the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
It is considered a crucial milestone in the development of the state of Israel, which was realised in 1948. Palestinians see it as the lynchpin to a century of Jewish Palestinian conflict, and argue it contradicted earlier British promises of Arab independence.
At the September meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee, Sinn Féin Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly raised the matter on behalf of Sinn Féin Botanic Councillor Conor McKay. She said: “He asked us to recognise the request from local residents in the Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group to rename Balfour Park, to better reflect the character and identity of the local community.
“With recent improvements to the park facilities, there is now a timely opportunity to engage with residents about renaming this important community asset, given the expressed support from the Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group and local community members. We ask the committee to support a consultation taking place locally to gauge community opinion on the proposed renaming, and to invite suggestions for alternative names that reflect the area’s heritage and community values.”
Chair of the People and Communities Committee, DUP Councillor Ruth Brooks asked Councillor Donnelly: “Was there a rationale specifically for this park to be brought back?””
Councillor Donnelly replied: “It is one of those parks (where works) have been approved recently, and because the Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group had come and asked for it, it was just to support that, and see if it is an option.”
DUP Councillor Sarah Bunting said: “This request has been wrapped up in a very coy manner, and presented like it is just an innocent request. But we are not stupid, Arthur Balfour was a British Prime Minister, whose name is tied to one of the most significant moments in world history. He supported the creation of a Jewish homeland.”
She said: “If every name is up for changing, just depending on political taste, then no public space will ever be free from controversy. I think that is why we already have a policy on naming playparks. If a report is to come back, we have to ensure that policy is very clear, as to how we care to go about naming those parks. The park is on Balfour Avenue, it is Balfour playpark, that makes sense.”
DUP Councillor Jordan Doran said: “If a community wants to celebrate heritage, then they should do that with art projects and new facilities, as opposed to erasing a long-standing name. I think children’s spaces should be free from politics, and should preserve neutrality for inclusivity.”
The committee agreed on a report coming back on the matter. A council officer said it would “outline the process that has to be followed to request a name change.”
At the start of the month the DUP were accused of “dog whistle politics” and “stirring up racial tensions” against “non-whites” with a proposal on Belfast playparks presented to City Hall.
At the monthly meeting of the full Belfast City Council on September 1, all the non-Unionist parties were united in condemning a motion forwarded by DUP Alderman Dean McCullough, which unsuccessfully attempted to have a consultation for a new policy on alleged “predatory” behaviour in playparks across the city.
Alderman McCullough said at the end of the debate he would be seeking “advice” after other elected members said the motion was “racist,” and that it was aiming to whip up tensions rather than help women and young girls.
Others pointed out that statistics relating to Belfast playparks showed antisocial and criminal behaviour was at its lowest in five years, and that the police said some recent accounts showed “misreporting” of behaviour in playparks. One councillor said the motion was preparation for an election in 18 months.
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