Londonderry peace event faces unionist criticism

Some unionists have criticised a peace initiative organised in Londonderry by a Presbyterian minister.

The Bright Brand New Day featured Martin Luther King III, the son of the murdered civil rights leader.

John Hume and Mark Durkan from the SDLP, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and the Sinn Fein Mayor of Derry Kevin Campbell attended.

However, DUP councillor Gary Middleton claims he felt excluded from the free event.

"There were certainly no invites that came through our office or myself as a councillor or any unionist councillor for that matter," he said.

"Yes, there may have been a bit of advertising around it, but I certainly wasn't very aware until recently that the event was even here.

"Had I known beforehand that the make-up of the platform was the way it was I certainly wouldn't have went."

Rev David Latimer, who organised the Bright Brand New Day initiative, rejected any accusations of exclusion.

"We've engaged with the widest possible range of people," he said.

"We went to see the junior minister at Stormont, DUP minister Jonathan Bell. We had an amazing meeting with him that ended with prayer.

"We also went to see the grand secretary of the Orange Order, Drew Nelson."

Rev Latimer said he had been in contact with other high profile unionists and loyalists including Jeffrey Donaldson, Mary Hamilton, Willie Hay and Mike Nesbitt.

"I want to assure everyone that no-one was being excluded and we were spreading our net widely by advertising in the newspapers, which was given to us by Johnson Press: £10,000 of free advertising to reach out to the whole community and we were wanting to exclude no-one," he said.

Mr Middleton said that while he could see the minister's aims for the event, "we can't have that when we have a platform that's wholly nationalist or of nationalist politicians".

"Martin McGuinness for loyalists and Protestant unionists in this city is certainly not a peace figure.

"I wasn't aware that Martin McGuinness was actually going to be there. I didn't know who was going to be there. Yes I knew Martin Luther King III was going to be there, but I was not aware of who else would be on the platform.

"I was actually engaged in something else anyway, but when I saw the platform, one could just say we were excluded and that's just what it boils down to."

The event "was absolutely magnificent" according to Martin McGuinness.

"It was a great cross-community event. People came streaming across the Peace Bridge from the Waterside," he said.

"It was absolutely amazing, one of the most heart-warming events I think ever ever seen in the city."

The deputy first minister said he thought there was a "very representative group of people in the crowd".

"I think this city is an inspiration, if you go outside of Ireland to Europe, to North America, to the Far East, people look at what happened here as a miracle," he said.

"They see it as the most successful peace process in the world today, even in spite of the problems we have to deal with on an ongoing basis.

"I met Martin Luther King for an hour at the city hotel and his message is very, very clear: the world knows about what is happening here in the north of Ireland, and the world knows about Derry."

Rev Latimer said he detected a desire for change in Derry.

"I have to accept that not everyone is on the same stage in this journey as I am on," he said.

"The only way we can go forward in this city to a bright brand new day is if we recognise that we have more to unite us than divide us.

"So let's concentrate on the things that unite us and let's build a better future and lay a good foundation for our children. That's what we need to be doing."