Sports camp cancelled after Orange lodge raises 'concerns' over inclusion of kids from GAA club
The camp was to be run by the North Down Cricket Club. The camp was to be broadly focused on cricket, the club said, including children from ten local sports and community clubs. Among them was a small group of children from a local GAA club, the club said in a statement.
Goldsprings of Comber Loyal Orange Lodge stated that residents in the Comber area were concerned about the 'proposed or perceived move of the GAA into the local community'.
It said that it supported the promotion of sport and youth engagement, but that local residents had reservations about the GAA's 'cultural and historical affiliations', saying that the organisation has in the past 'celebrated or commemorated individuals associated with paramilitary activity'.
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It added that until the GAA takes 'meaningful steps' to ensure that it is inclusive and sensitive to the identity of the 'Protestant, Unionist, and Loyalist community', it would be viewed with opposition.
First Minister, Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill, said that the developments are 'worrying and unacceptable'.
'Children should be allowed to play together at summer camp without facing intolerance,' she said. O'Neill stated that political representatives need to send a message and overcome what she called 'unacceptable intolerance'.
The cricket club at the centre of the storm said it reflects the 'best of our community and our Ulster-British heritage'. It welcomes people from all walks of life, it said, and the sports summer camp was meant to 'give young people from different backgrounds a chance to enjoy cricket, try something new, and simply have fun'.
In the wake of the negative reaction, the spirit of the camp was at the risk of being lost, and the club have decided not to proceed, it stated.
'But let's be clear: openness is not a threat. Respect is not surrender. And our culture is not so fragile that it can't be shared.'
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