NI 100: Sinn Féin block Belfast City Hall illumination

A plan to light up Belfast City Hall to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland has been blocked by Sinn Féin.

The Northern Ireland Office proposed that the building should be be lit up green and blue.

It would have come on the same day as a cross-community church service took place in Armagh.

DUP councillor Brian Kingston accused Sinn Féin of being "petty-minded" and "showing no respect for unionists".

Civic buildings across the UK are to be lit up on Friday to mark the centenary, but it was to have taken place in Belfast on Thursday due to a different illumination taking place on Friday.

Sinn Féin party group leader Ciaran Beattie said "the partition of Ireland is nothing to celebrate" and illuminating the building "would have an adverse impact on those from an Irish nationalist background in the city".

He added: "Further, the proposal to illuminate Belfast City Hall was not included in the council's Decade of Centenaries programme agreed by all parties.

"The Decade of Centenaries programme has a core basic principle, balance.

"The addition of this late request would create an imbalance in providing exclusively for a unionist viewpoint and without the space for any counter-narrative."

DUP councillor Brian Kingston said Sinn Féin had had the same amount of notice about the plan as other parties.

"This request came in late, part of a nationwide lighting up of civic buildings just to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland.

"The majority of councillors through their party group leaders supported this request.

"It wouldn't have done any harm, we have had a number of events commemorating the centenary of Northern Ireland.

"It will come up at committee tomorrow morning and I'm hoping that we will get agreement to have another debate."

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: "Sinn Féin's deliberate path in recent months has been to snub any reference, event or token, no matter how large or small which acknowledges the existence of Northern Ireland."

He said it showed "not just a stark lack of generosity to others in Northern Ireland, but a worrying signpost towards how they view the future".

If councillors think a decision taken by a committee has been taken incorrectly, they have the right to request a "call-in" of that decision.

In a statement, Belfast City Council said: "The decision to illuminate City Hall was subject to a call in this morning.

"An initial legal opinion indicates the call in has merit. As a result of this the illumination will not be proceeding."