WEST Belfast MP Paul Maskey has told the Justice Minister that paramilitaries "do not control our communities".
It came as Mr Maskey led a delegation of business owners and community leaders to meet Naomi Long at Stormont where they raised their concern over a controversial billboard campaign which local businesses say is stigmatising the local community.
The meeting came as it was revealed that over £1million has been spent by the Department of Justice on the billboard campaign over the last five years.
The billboards have been erected across the North, including in West Belfast as part of the Executive Programme for Tackling Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC), championed by Justice Minister Naomi Long
Last month, as the newest batch of the controversial 'Ending The Harm' posters were rolled out by the Justice Department, politicians in West Belfast united to denounce the billboards saying they demonise the local community.
This week, in response to an Assembly Written Question from SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan, the Justice Minister Naomi Long said that the total costs in the last five years for advertising the campaign was £1,086,496.51.
The figures included spending on outdoor advertising such as the billboards, as well as TV, online and press advertising and staff costs.
More than £112,000 was spent on billboards in the last year alone, the biggest individual spend in any one year on any form of advertising and half of the spend incurred in 2024/25.
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey met the Justice Minister alongside a delegation of business owners and community representatives from the West Belfast.
Paul Maskey MP, Eimear Hargey (Fáilte Feirste Thiar), community worker Aoife McCallum and Máirtín Ó Muilleoir 
He said those who took part expressed “deep concern” about the “detrimental impact” the billboards are having on both local communities and the economic vitality of the district.
“The delegation expressed deep concern about the detrimental impact recent billboards are having on local communities and businesses,” he said. “We reiterated to the Minister that paramilitaries do not control our communities or our businesses. West Belfast is a proud, diverse and thriving area.”
Mr Maskey highlighted the strength of West Belfast’s tourism sector and the resilience of its local enterprises, arguing that the messaging behind the billboards paints an inaccurate picture of the community.
“We have a strong tourism offering and a dynamic local business sector that continues to punch above its weight,” he added. “These posters and the campaign behind them do not reflect who we are. Instead of demonising our communities, we should be working together to build a brighter, better West Belfast.
"I hope that the Department of Justice takes these concerns seriously and that it reviews the programme and engages with local stakeholders in the immediate future.”
The pushback from local businesses and organisations comes as momentum grows behind an open letter signed by 110 West Belfast businesses and organisations. The letter sharply criticises the campaign’s portrayal of the area, arguing that it misrepresents the lived experience of residents and workers.
The signatories are calling for the billboards to be reconsidered and for future initiatives to be developed in consultation with those who live and work in the area.
Andersonstown News publisher Máirtín Ó Muilleoir was also part of the delegation who met Minister Long.
“The reputation of West Belfast as a great place to do business has been a lifetime in the building,” he said.
“So our small business owners are understandably outraged when that reputation is besmirched by a poster campaign which claims they are beholden to paramilitaries or criminals.
"The reality is that small businesses are the economic backbone of the West Belfast and their efforts to create jobs and attract more enterprises to the area should be encouraged by the Justice Department, not undermined.”
