Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which opposes same-sex marriage and abortion.
(Charles McQuillan/Getty)
The DUP has tabled an amendment to a motion calling for a conversion therapy ban in Northern Ireland, insisting that religious conversion therapy is perfectly fine.
The motion, set to be debated on Tuesday (20 April), calls on Stormont to “reject the harmful practice widely referred to as conversion therapy” and to “acknowledge the damage this practice causes to the mental health of those who are subjected to it”.
Proposed by Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MLAs Doug Beattie and John Stewart, the motion also calls for the Northern Ireland legislature to acknowledge “that this practice has been widely rejected by medical professionals”, and urges the “Minister for Communities to commit to bringing forward legislation before the end of the current Assembly mandate to ban conversion therapy in all its forms”.
It further stated that booking a homeless bed did not amount to taking a bed from somebody else as the authorities âjust source more accommodationâ of short-term beds.
Garda sources said they were aware of the message in circulation, adding it was being examined. However, it was unknown if anyone had taken the advice and booked a homeless bed. The messages were not written by protest organisers but were instead offered as advice to others by a visitor to the messaging platforms.
âWorryingâ
Cllr Anthony Flynn (Ind), the co-founder of Inner City Helping Homeless, said he had been sent the messages, which he described as âworryingâ.
Eugene Masterson Homeless story There were seven empty tents removed from the banks of the Grand Canal on Friday, said a spokesperson. Six of the occupants of these tents have recently moved to temporary accommodation with another occupant moving to a permanent social housing tenancy. The people involved are now accessing health and addiction supports, as appropriate.
But Cllr Flynn begs to differ. Unfortunately, this isn t what was seen on the ground, he insists. Many were offered accommodation, but refused the same due to poor standards in emergency accommodation. This isn t the way we should be responding. Dispersal and displacement should not be the method. Intense housing first is the model required here.
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A 16-year-old boy has died after he was stabbed during a fight in Dublin last night.
Gardaí said it happened after a row broke out in East Wall at around 9:30pm last night.
Emergency services attended the scene and two boys were taken to the Mater Hospital with serious injuries.
One of them was later pronounced dead.
A third boy later presented at the hospital where he is now receiving treatment. The scene on East Road at East Wall after a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death, 27-01-2021. Image: Stephanie Rohan/Newstalk
Cllr Anthony Flynn lives nearby and was one of the first on scene.