Marchers flooded the streets of Belfast today to demand equal marriage rights for LGBT citizens in Northern Ireland.
Proposals for marriage equality in the North have been blocked by the DUP, who have deployed “petitions of concern” which require proposals to achieve cross-community majorities. Most parties in the North now advocate for marriage equality.
In 2017, Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK, or the island of Ireland, where LGBT citizens don’t have the right to get married.
Social media was awash on Saturday with photo and video of celebrating demonstrators who marched on Belfast’s City Hall to demand equal rights.
https://twitter.com/SiobhanFenton/status/881154519580774400
Wave after wave of people arriving at Belfast City Hall to demand #equalmarriage for Northern Ireland pic.twitter.com/znS6KhzCpw
— Amnesty Int'l NI (@AmnestyNI) July 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/fintanwarfield/status/881160789226291201
https://twitter.com/SiobhanFenton/status/881166041140822017
Massive crowd in Belfast demanding marriage equality #EqualityMarch #rights pic.twitter.com/2wnvNyhv8c
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) July 1, 2017
Huge turnout at the march for #EqualMarriage in Belfast. Just arriving now at City Hall. pic.twitter.com/FWhMe0EoZM
— Amnesty Int'l NI (@AmnestyNI) July 1, 2017
Northern Ireland is currently in a state of political upheaval, with its various parties unable to agree to a power-sharing deal. The deadline for such an agreement is Monday, July 3. If the parties cannot agree to a deal, then Northern Ireland faces a period of direct rule from Westminster.
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