North's trade unionists to stage anti-sectarian rally

Trade unionists in the North said today that they will hold a public rally tomorrow against sectarianism.

The Belfast City Hall event has been organised to show solidarity with the family and friends of Catholic man Kevin McDaid, beaten to death by a loyalist mob in Coleraine, Co Derry.

As Mr McDaid was buried today, the event’s organisers said the Belfast vigil was in the same spirit as a similar rally organised two months ago to protest against the dissident republican murders of two soldiers and a police officer.

The rally has been organised for 12.30pm tomorrow by Belfast Community Workers in memory of Mr McDaid who had also worked to build bridges between the Protestant and Catholic communities.

In March the Real IRA shot soldiers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar outside the Massereene Army base in Co Antrim.

Within days, the Continuity IRA shot Police Service of Northern Ireland officer Stephen Carroll in Craigavon, Co Armagh.

Trade unionists organised rallies against the murders.

Late last year they also protested when dissident republican groups threatened community workers co-operating with police.

The Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (NIC-ICTU) confirmed today that it will support the vigil in support of the family, friends and colleagues of Mr McDaid.

The group said: “The support of the NIC-ICTU is in the spirit of the rally organised last November in defence of all community workers facing threats from Continuity IRA, the rally organised last March to show opposition to the murder of two soldiers and a police officer, and the trade union rally organised last Friday by Derry Trades Council and the NIC-ICTU to condemn the murder of Mr McDaid and the ongoing sectarian incidents around the Fountain area of that city.”

The group called on workers to attend the rally in a collective show of opposition to all acts of sectarianism.