THE group leaders of five political parties on Belfast City Council have condemned threats of violence from loyalist paramilitaries against council facilities following last week's vote on a new Irish language policy for the city.

The policy sets out how the council plans to promote and use Irish across its services, including interpreting and translation, key documents and publications, signage at facilities, on the council website and within the council’s corporate identity, including its logo. 

In an open letter this afternoon, the group leaders of Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, SDLP Alliance and Greens, along with the President of Conradh na Gaeilge, branded the threats as an attack on the Irish language.

"The threats from loyalist paramilitaries are a cause of grave concern for all, for those who support the Irish language and for those who stand with fundamental principles of equality more generally," the letter states.

"As a key component of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, parties and both Governments, in their respective roles as co-guarantors, committed to taking 'resolute action' to promote and protect the Irish language.  

"We believe the Irish language policy, passed by a resounding majority of democratically elected councillors, is a direct product of the 1998 Agreement and subsequent agreements, based on the core principles of the Identity and Language Act.

"Not only are these’s threats an attack on the Irish language community, but also on the entire democratic process and a right-based society. We, the undersigned, unequivocally condemn these threats."

The letter is signed by Cllr Ciaraán Beattie, Sinn Féin; Cllr Michael Collins, PBP; Cllr Séamas de Faoite, SDLP; Cllr Michael Long, Alliance; Cllr Brian Smyth, Green Party; and Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, Uachtarán, Conradh na Gaeilge.