FERMANAGH and Omagh District Council’s newly appointed vice-chair has strongly denied accusations of racism following a heated debate over a controversial DUP motion on illegal immigration.
Cllr Shirley Hawkes of the DUP has defended her position after facing fierce criticism from Sinn Féin, SDLP, Alliance, and community activists over her support for a motion that warned of ‘unsustainable pressure’ on local services due to illegal immigration.
The motion, brought forward at a recent council meeting by the DUP’s David Mahon, pictured below, and seconded by Cllr Hawkes, called on Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins to review legislation relating to houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
It also raised concerns about immigration’s alleged impact on health services such as dentists and GPs.
Local representatives rejected the motion, with Sinn Féin, SDLP and Alliance councillors voting it down.
Critics described the motion as inflammatory and misinformed, accusing the DUP of using loaded language that risked fuelling anti-immigrant sentiment.
Responding to the backlash, Cllr Hawkes said she had been subjected to “verbal abuse” from political opponents and insisted her comments had been “very balanced”.
“To accuse me of being racist or divisive is ridiculous,” she said. “I have demonstrated fairness to everyone and will continue to raise these issues on behalf of my electorate.”
However, others saw it differently.
Sinn Féin’s group leader at FODC, Cllr Debbie Coyle, criticised the language used in the motion and dismissed the term “illegal immigrant” as misleading.
“There are no open borders, and using language like that only serves to spread misinformation,” she said. “Racism is an ugly reality, and motions like this risk making it worse.”
SDLP Councillor Adam Gannon accused the DUP of “sowing the seeds of hatred” by bringing forward the motion.
“I want to be very clear about what I believe is the real purpose of this motion,” he said.
“This motion is about sowing the seeds of racism and hatred in our community,” claimed Councillor Gannon.
He continued, “It is a racist, anti-immigration dog-whistle motion, and the points raised are not even relevant to our district.”
Despite the controversy, Cllr Mahon defended the party’s stance, saying the DUP had a right to raise concerns about immigration and public service pressures.
He said, “As a party, we want to see stronger measures taken to stem illegal immigration across all parts of the United Kingdom. Equally important is that the needs of people who have lived in an area for generations continue to be met.”
Cllr Mahon added, “There may be some who try to label those of us who raise genuine concerns about uncontrolled immigration as racist or fascist.”
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