No democracy at Queens
Members of the Sheena Campbell Sinn Fein cumann held a peaceful
protest outside Queen's Student Union demanding equal rights on
Friday 19 February.
The students were protesting at the exclusion of Sinn Fein from the
Student's Union. A motion proposing recognition for the cumann within
the Student's Union was defeated by 43 votes to 23 with Unionist
students voting against recognition and a number of SDLP students
abstaining from the vote.
Queens Union president, Paul McGarrity said, ``the unionists at
Queen's have oppressed the aims and ethos of the Belfast Agreement by
surrendering to non-pluralist and exclusive forces within their own
party headquarters. Now is not the time to deprive the voice of
legitimate political parties''.
Students at the university hit out at the hypocrisy of the unionists,
pointing out that they will talk to Sinn Fein at Stormont but will
not recognise them in the university.
South Belfast Sinn Fein councillor Sean Hayes has reacted angrily to
this exclusion saying, ``Sinn Fein, a legal and democratic political
party, who represent 45% of the nationalist community, have been told
by Queens student Unionists that we have no right to equal
recognition within the Student's Union. Republican students are being
treated as second class citizens and denied their right to
participate fully in the life of the Student's Union''.
He added, ``the same reactionary attitudes seen tonight caused the
murder of Sheena Campbell in 1992. How long will it be before such
attitudes manifest themselves in more violence against nationalists
on campus''.
Chairman of the new Cumann, Kieran Dunbar, reaffirmed their
commitment to continue the campaign for the recognition of the
society. ENDS
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)