Sinn Fein councillors walk out of Derry and Strabane Council meeting

Sinn Fein councillors have walked out on the January plenary of Derry City and Strabane District Council in the Guildhall.

The walkout on Wednesday afternoon was in response to the sidelining of a proposal regarding Council reaffirming its “longstanding commitment to ending violence against women and girls”.

The proposal had been brought by Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr (SDLP) and seconded by Cllr Sandra Duffy (Sinn Féin). 

During the debate on the motion - the full text of which is below - a considerable amount of time was spent discussing Cllr Brian Tierney’s provision of a character reference for convicted rapist Kielan Mooney.

Cllr Tierney then joined the meeting online and issued a lengthy public apology for his actions.

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Alderman Derek Hussey (UUP) subsequently proposed taking a vote on the original motion. 

Mayor Barr ruled that procedurally this proposal itself had to be voted on. At this stage, all of the Sinn Féin councillors walked out of the chamber. Alderman Hussey then withdrew his proposal.

The leader of the Sinn Féin grouping on the Council, Cllr Christopher Jackson, then returned to the chamber to explain his councillors were unhappy that discussion around the motion regarding violence against women and girls had been dominated by discussion regarding Cllr Tierney’s provision of a character reference to Kielan Mooney.

Cllr Jackson said there was "disgust at how the earlier part of this meeting had been hijacked by Cllr Tierney".

"There was a political alliance set up to give character references to him and it completely distracted away from the the thrust of the main issue we were here to discuss  - the proposal that you yourself tabled Mayor -  and have a collective stance for a zero tolerance approach to violence against women and girls," said Cllr Jackson.

"It is extremely disappointing that there were members of our team who felt sick to their stomachs, felt disgusted, felt really uncomfortable that Brian Tierney tried to portray himself as a victim throughout all of this and that was backed up by his political friends.

"Regardless of how nice of a person Brian Tierney is or how good of a friend or how close a relationship some people may have with him, the message around violence against women and a zero tolerance approach was completely lost. That has left a lot of people extremely uncomfortable within our team.

"They felt they weren't able to continue in this meeting. The fact that you yourself, Mayor, and others within the chamber - the wee cosy alliance that has been established - continued with the meeting and ignored the concerns that were raised is extremely concerning.

"Mayor, I am going to propose that this meeting is adjourned until tomorrow to allow people to have conversations, to allow people to come to terms and reflect on what's been said and allow people to regather their thoughts because I know [what happened] earlier on in the meeting it has taken its toll on some people.

There’s a lot of anger. There's a lot of anger outside of this chamber and there's a lot of anger within our team around how some people have conducted themselves on this meeting," added Cllr Jackson.

Cllr Jackson then proposed adjourning the plenary meeting until tomorrow (Thursday).

Following a five minute recess called by Mayor Seenoi-Barr, the councillors present in the chamber voted against adjourning the meeting, which continued and will resume on Thursday afternoon.

MOTION PROPOSED BY MAYOR LILIAN SEENOI-BARR & SEONDED BY CLLR SANDRA DUFFY

(i) This Council reaffirms its longstanding commitment to ending violence against women and girls and recognises the vital fole grassroots organisations, community and voluntary groups and other stakeholders play in addressing this issue. Building on these efforts, the Council agrees to endorse the following actions, acknowledging the urgent need for meaningful change and pledging to work collaboratively with other partners to creat a safer, more equitable district for women and girls.

(ii) Declaring Derry City and Strabane District a Zero Tolerance Zone for Violence Against Women and Girls, sending a clear message that such violence will not be tolerated in our community.

(iii) Council partners with key stakeholders to design and implement a comprehensive education and awareness campaign aimed at preventing violence and fostering a culture of respect, equality, and safety for all.

The motion was passed.