A Portland District Court judge was correct in giving a father the power to decide whether his daughter could attend an evangelical church following a clash with the girl’s mother over her religious upbringing, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Sept. 1.

The decision keeps in place the lower court’s ruling on a 2024 dispute between Matthew Bradeen and Emily Bickford regarding the religious upbringing of their daughter, who was then 11 years old. Bickford had been bringing her daughter to multiple services a week at Calvary Chapel Greater Portland, an evangelical church in Westbrook.

Bradeen argued the church was a “dangerous and harmful environment” that had caused his daughter to suffer from anxiety. He said she had a panic attack after hearing the church’s teachings on the rapture, a belief that Christians will join God at the end of the world and nonbelievers will be left behind.

The lower court ruled in his favor, saying some of the church’s language was “psychologically damaging the child” because of how it characterized her father, and the state’s high court affirmed this decision on Tuesday.

The lower court ruling gave Bradeen the right to decide whether his daughter could continue to attend Calvary Chapel services or interact with members of the church other than her mother. It also said the pair must “continue to share parental rights and responsibilities” regarding their daughter’s exposure to other religious organizations, but that if they disagreed the father has the right to make final decisions.

Bickford’s lawyer, Mathew Staver, told The Monitor he plans to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Staver’s law firm, Liberty Counsel, which describes itself as a “Christian ministry” focused on religious freedom, has been involved in other cases before the U.S. Supreme Court including a 2022 case in which the court ruled in favor of a private religious group that Boston had barred from flying a Christian flag.

In a brief to the Maine Supreme Court, Liberty Counsel argued that the 2024 order violated Bickford’s First Amendment rights through its “open hostility” toward religious beliefs and by preventing her from directing the “religious upbringing of her child as she sees fit.”

“What Maine has done in this decision is put the Supreme Court of Maine at odds with the courts of a number of other states,” Staver said. “I think it will be a case that will be very significant and catch the attention of the Supreme Court because of how far-reaching it is with regards to the First Amendment exercise clause.”

While Calvary Chapel Greater Portland was not an official party in this case, churches in the evangelical network been at the center of several lawsuits in recent years, including a 2020 lawsuit brought by Calvary Chapel of Bangor against the state for its pandemic restrictions and an ongoing lawsuit brought by Calvary Chapel Belfast alleging religious discrimination after the University of Maine System rescinded its agreement to sell a building to the church. Liberty Counsel represented both churches in their cases.

Bickford and her counsel have 90 days to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

___

This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

In a statement, the Army Cadet League of Canada, a civilian organisation that supports the programme, said it strongly condemns “any online harassment, or mockery of cadets’ achievements”.

“Directing derogatory commentary toward youth who are actively working to better themselves and serve their communities is unacceptable,” the organisation said.

Speaking to broadcaster CBC, Canada’s top military commander, General Jennie Carignan, said they are in contact with the cadets involved and any response they may have.

“We are consulting with them on how they want to go about doing this,” she said.

Other officials weighed in, including Scott Anderson, a Conservative member of parliament for the Canadian city of Vernon and a former military reservist, who in a post directed at Hegseth accused him not living up to the “responsibility and decorum” that comes with his title.

“You have chosen to set both aside and insult two female Canadian non-combatants, and to intentionally shame them before millions. You should be ashamed,” he said.

“Our economies, our continental defence and our cultures are irretrievably intertwined and yet we are two distinct nations. Canadians and Americans should have no problem with each other, but I have a problem with you,” Anderson added.

Trade talks broke down between Canada and the US last month, with both sides accusing the other of last-minute demands that torpedoed a tentative agreement.

The US immediately imposed 50% tariffs on some $20bn (C$28bn) of Canadian imports, and Canada plans to bring in matching countermeasures next week.

Both sides have traded insults, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford calling Trump a “loser”, the US president seeking to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, and transportation secretary Sean Duffy accusing Canada of being a country that “doesn’t have a military”.

Still, the two counties have long been defence partners and allies, including when Canada backed the US in the war in Afghanistan.

Canada has also significantly ramped up defence spending in recent months after years of lagging behind Nato targets.

Hegseth, a veteran, is himself under pressure at home following a string of recent high-profile military leaders leaving the Pentagon and questions about the US handling of the Iran war.

He has also long focused on the appearance and physical fitness of US troops and on what he calls the “warrior ethos”.

The majority of Britons agree with Andy Burnham that the country took a wrong turn by leaving the European Union, but they are split over his belief that Margaret Thatcher’s premiership set the country on the wrong path.

Addressing the House of Commons for the first time as prime minister on Tuesday, the former mayor of Greater Manchester took aim at deindustrialisation and privatisation of the 1980s, and the impact of austerity and Brexit on regions of the UK outside of England’s South East and London.

He listed the “series of wrong turns” the UK has made since over the past 40s years and warned that Brexit had embedded the problems in the last decade.

Mr Burnham told MPs: “From the 1980s, this country took a series of wrong turns. Political power was centralised, economic power privatised.

“The country deindustrialised. Austerity followed, hollowing out councils and depriving them of the agency to act to reverse any of this, and then Brexit, compounding the damage, ushering in a decade of low growth and stalled regeneration.”

According to new polling from YouGov, 55 per cent of British people agree with the prime minister that Brexit was a wrong turn, with 21 per cent disagreeing. 11 per cent said neither and 13 per cent said they did not know.

Among Labour voters at the 2024 general election, 78 per cent believed it to be a wrong turn, while 59 per cent of Reform voters claimed it was a right turn.

The Makerfield MP’s comments were welcomed by pro-EU campaigners just days after The Independent revealed the £11.7bn a year loss in exports Brexit has caused for British business as well as a survey showing 98.2 per cent of businesses want the UK to rejoin the single market.

Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, said: “It’s hugely welcome to hear a prime minister stand at the despatch box and say loudly and clearly that Brexit harmed Britain; far from taking back control, it shrank our economy, left us poorer, weaker, less safe and more divided.”

When it comes to Baroness Thatcher, whose 11 years in Downing Street from 1979 to 1990 made her the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century, 35 per cent of Britons believe her premiership represented a wrong turn for the country.

28 per cent said it was more of a right turn, with 14 per cent saying neither and 23 per cent not knowing.

60 per cent of 2024 Conservative voters and 57 per cent of Reform voters said it was a right turn, while 58 per cent of Labour voters believed it to be a wrong turn.

Regarding the privatisation and centralisation of power prominent during the Thatcher years – and the legacy he believes it has left – Mr Burnham claimed this was a “failed economic model”.

He said it had led to high streets across the country being left desolate and described Britain’s water industry as “a leaking monument to that approach, a country run in the private rather than public interest”.

“For a long time, the country did not have ambitions for its regions outside of London – it even talked of the managed decline of Liverpool,” the prime minister told the Commons.

“It took the devolution of power out of this place to allow our big city regions the ability to set new ambitions for themselves.

“Now, I want every single place across our regions and nations to be able to do the same, creating the conditions for good growth in every postcode.”

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A low-altitude flyover by two Airlink passenger jets before a rugby match at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium is being reviewed by South African aviation authorities after it drew safety concerns, officials said Wednesday.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it had obtained flight data recordings and requested additional information from regional carrier Airlink as part of its assessment. A full report with recommendations will be issued once the review is complete.

“It is therefore critical that we interrogate this past weekend’s events … to determine if there were any safety concerns which warrant a review,” the agency said in a statement.

Airlink has withdrawn plans for another flyover at the upcoming rugby match in Soweto, according to the SACAA, which is responsible for regulating aviation safety and security.

The flyover ahead of the Springboks-All Blacks rugby match on Aug. 29 drew huge cheers from an estimated crowd of about 56,000, but also sparked a debate over the safety risks after video footage by spectators inside and around the stadium spread online.

Deandra Peters, 25, a pilot and aviation enthusiast attending her first live rugby match, said the crowd in the stadium was electrified by the spectacle in a way that was difficult to capture on video.

“You can watch the planes fly over, but you can’t recreate what it felt like to be inside a stadium full of Springbok supporters absolutely losing their minds,” she told The Associated Press. “The atmosphere was electric — the noise, the pride, the emotion. It was a very uniquely South African moment.”

Airlink on Wednesday said the maneuver had been carefully planned and rehearsed and that safety was “the first consideration at every stage of the process.” It said each aircraft had three senior captains aboard, with more than 75,000 combined flight hours across the crews.

Earlier this week, Airlink had provided the data from the airplanes’ black boxes to the civil aviation authority for review.

The SACAA said it would examine flight data to determine whether any safety concerns warranted a review.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

“The fear was that it was gone forever, so it’s great that this hasn’t been the outcome.”

A historic street sign in South Belfast that went missing a number of weeks ago has been recovered half a mile away.

The tiled Ravenhill Road sign, which is more than 100 years old, was reported missing last month after it disappeared from its installed location. The disappearance sparked concerns that the sign had been stolen, something that has happened to other historic signs in the area.

SDLP Botanic councillor Gary McKeown had raised concerns regarding the missing sign and has now said it was recovered half a mile from where it disappeared.

He said that unlike its neighbouring sign for the Ormeau Road, the Ravenhill Road sign did not have listed protection.

He said: “I’m very relieved that the old tiled Ravenhill Road street sign which disappeared a number of weeks ago has been located and recovered. The fear was that it was gone forever, so it’s great that this hasn’t been the outcome. I’m now making arrangements to return it to the council for reinstallation.

“This sign is over 100 years old, and is showing evidence of wear and tear. I brought a proposal through Belfast City Council to develop a programme of restoration and protection of Belfast’s iconic black tiled signs, which has been taken forward and just awaits funding. I’ve asked for this project to be expedited as these signs are an integral part of our city.

“I also discovered that unlike a similar sign for the Ormeau Road which was right beside this one, it doesn’t have listed protection, so I’ve got confirmation now that it will now be formally assessed for listing. Of course, it needs to be reinstalled for this to happen, so the sooner this is done, the better.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Kirstie Allsopp has revealed she was rushed to hospital to undergo leg surgery after suffering a nasty fall during her family holiday.

The Location, Location, Location star, 55, has shared snaps of her bandaged foot after being airlifted to hospital while on the beach in Cornwall, following a fall on a ‘muddy step’.

Kirstie shared an image of her face covered in tubes as she prepared to undergo surgery on her leg.

The presenter told her followers she’d been enjoying a day on the beach to celebrate her birthday, and said it took ‘a whole host of people’ to help track down her location so an air ambulance could take her to the hospital.

She captioned the post: ‘Almost every year since Oscar was born we have celebrated my birthday at Meadowgate, one of my favourite places on earth. 

‘We have a picnic on the beach at Welcombe Mouth, a swim and a walk back to the house for some cake, unfortunately I slipped on a muddy patch on the steep path, and it took a whole host of people to get me to hospital. 

The Location, Location, Location star has shared snaps of her bandaged foot after being airlifted to hospital while on the beach in Cornwall, following a fall on a ‘muddy step’

‘After a little wait while poor Oscar ran as fast as he could to get help, and the @rnli_bude_lifeboat paramedics & @cornwallairamb tracked me down (I ❤️ #whatthreewords) I was given a huge amount of painkillers so I omitted to ask anyone for their social media details, but if this post is wrong I hope someone will tell me. 

‘I remember Chris and Jeremy & I think there was a Lee, and there was definitely young Jake in the ambulance. 

‘But according to Ben & the boys I have far more people than that to thank. God only knows what I was like to deal with high as a kite! 

‘Everyone at Barnstaple hospital has been amazing, kind & caring, so many lovely people doing their absolute best. 

‘They have operated on the leg and I’ll be home soon. It’ll be a boot and crutches for a while but I feel very, very lucky that it was possible to reach me and get me to hospital so quickly, and I have a job that I can do on crutches. 

‘Not a birthday I am going to forget in a hurry and again, THANK YOU to all those who have been involved in my care.’

Kirstie married property tycoon Ben Anderson in January 2025 after more than 20 years together, and they are parents to sons Bay, 20, and Oscar, 18.

The broadcaster recently looked back on her time presenting Location, Location, Location with her longtime co-host Phil Spencer, joking she was his ‘second choice’ for the job.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Kirstie paid tribute to the ambulance and hospital staff who took care of her, and said she was ‘very very lucky’ they could reach her

The presenter told her followers she’d been enjoying a day on the beach to celebrate her birthday, and said it took ‘a whole host of people’ to help track down her location after the fall

Kirstie shared a snap of the Cornwall Air Ambulance service as they made their way to her on the beach

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The property guru showed the X-ray of her injured knee, and shared she would be ‘home soon’ after undergoing the operation on her leg

Speaking on This Morning, she said: ‘There was an Italian girl with legs up to here,’ before pointing to her upper chest. 

‘Phil really, really wanted her but the problem was, her accent was so strong.’ 

Shaking his head, Phil responded: ‘That’s not quite true,’ but Kirstie continued: ‘And then there was a really sweet girl who was an estate agent but I think that she probably was a bit intimidated by the whole thing.

‘He sort of ended up with me by default, we did a non-transmissible pilot, thank god that will never come to air – and we both thought, ‘Oh, that was fun, but we’ve got real jobs’. Then, they commissioned the show and they asked us to present it!’

The duo also reflected on the shock from both show fans and contributors alike about how involved they are in the property searching and buying process behind-the-scenes of the show. 

Kirstie and Phil joked that their photo was on a number of fridges after helping families and couples find their dream property up and down the country. 

Kirstie said: ‘It’s such a lovely thing to have a job which means that every time you meet anyone, you can have a conversation about something that really matters to them, it’s a great privilege.’

Phil added: ‘I’ve done several re-visits, which we love doing going back a few years later, and it’s really special to find a picture of us and the crew on the day that we filmed and the day we found their house.’

‘I was talking to an estate agent on Friday, I was negotiating a deal that we made, and at the end I said, ‘Keep my number, if there’s a problem, ring me’… and he said, ‘I thought it was all fake,’ Kirstie added. 

To which Phil again chimed in: ‘I had a couple, we’d done three days filming and we sat in the pub at the end of the show and we were discussing tactics and value and negotiation, and I got my phone out to ring the agent. 

‘They went, ‘Hang on, you’re not actually going to do that are you?”

Kirstie concluded: ‘People think that Phil and I end every working day in a pub, pretending to make a telephone call!’

The pair were also subject to raised eyebrows when Phil failed to attend Kirstie’s wedding back in January 2025. 

Tying the knot with property tycoon Ben Anderson in a secret ceremony at Mayfair’s Grosvenor Chapel, the star’s co-host was notably absent from the celebrations. 

However, it was later revealed the event was so heavily cloaked in secrecy that even guests were unaware they were attending a wedding until the last minute.

Phil and Kirstie said that while they are great friends of 25 years, they never socialise outside of work.

Speaking in an interview with The Telegraph, Kirstie confessed: ‘We don’t socialise, because we work so much together.’

Phil added: ‘But we’re very, very fond of each other. There’s no one else who’s been through this experience. I put Kirstie among the most important people in my life.’

The pair have been part of each other’s lives through the biggest moments as Kirstie added: ‘In the most significant parts of our lives, we’ve been there for each other. I think Phil was one of the first people I ever told I was pregnant.’

The King, speaking inside the Great Court of the British Museum, said the opponents depicted in the tapestry – the Normans and Anglo-Saxons – would have been glad to see this togetherness between France and the UK – “two great nations, which share such fundamental values”.

“The tapestry’s story is one of ambition and uncertainty, of oaths and journeys, of ships, councils, kings, comets and consequences,” said the King.

“Yet it is not merely an English story, nor only a Norman one. Indeed, from the moment of its creation, it may have brought together our two peoples.”

George Osborne, director of the museum, described the displaying of the Bayeux Tapestry as the “most ambitious exhibition we’ve ever mounted”.

President Macron said a loan of this “masterpiece” had first been proposed in the 1930s, but he was delighted that the idea had come to fruition.

He spoke of the loan of the tapestry as an example of how “we are united” and a “reminder of what our countries can do if they join forces”.

Along with the King and Queen he had a chance to see the historic embroidery in the atmospheric darkness of the British Museum.

The 70m (230ft) tapestry, originally embroidered in England but kept for centuries in France, tells the story of the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

King Charles and Queen Camilla, Burnham and his wife Marie-France van Heel, and Macron and wife Brigitte were shown key scenes in the tapestry, including the Coronation of King Harold and his death in battle.

Sending the tapestry to the British Museum had been announced by Macron during the French state visit to the UK in July 2025, as an emblem of the strong partnership between the countries.

There had been some worries that moving the fragile tapestry could risk causing damage, but French government sources said ahead of the royal preview: “The display conditions at the British Museum are ideal.”

The French authorities welcomed the way that visitors in London would see the tapestry lying flat, rather than upright, with this believed to be better for the conservation of the fibres, sewn more than 900 years ago.

It is believed the final scenes of the tapestry have been lost or destroyed, as it has not always had such careful owners. In the 18th Century, during the French Revolution, it was rescued from being cut up to make covers for soldiers’ carts.

At a state banquet hosted by King Charles in Windsor, Macron had said the missing end of the tapestry was a symbol that “in the great mural of Franco-British history, the end is yet to be written – it is up to us to do it”.

Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) finding out about his affair with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) will be the least of Max Branning’s (Jake Wood) concerns in EastEnders after he was taken captive by an enraged Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).

Ravi, as viewers know, has been on the hunt for clues for weeks, hellbent on finding out who it is that Priya was seeing while they were separated.

After spotting a cosy moment between Priya and boss Max earlier this week the penny finally dropped for Ravi, who responded by kidnapping Max on the night of his stag do, bundling him into the Boxing Den where he intends to exact his revenge.

After years of betrayals and affairs, have Max’s sins finally caught up with him?

Elsewhere on the Square, Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) agreed to let the Hawkins clan stay at No. 1, despite having discovered that they set fire to their own home in a bid to claim on the insurance – to no avail.

And Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) struggled to hide her feelings for Max – that is, until Clive (Jason Durr) fixed the electrics at the community centre, which led to sparks of a very different kind.

With the credits having rolled on tonight’s visit to Walford, check out what Thursday (September 3) edition of the BBC One soap has got in store for you.

What happens next in EastEnders? New spoilers for Thursday, September 3

Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) eagerly awaits Max’s arrival so that the stag do proceedings can commence, unaware of the danger his dad faces just around the corner at The Boxing Den.

With Ravi having waited weeks to confront the man Priya has been sleeping with, will he exact revenge on Max? He’s made it clear on at least two occasions previously that he would kill the man in question if he ever found him, so Max is certainly in peril.

However, we know he is still very much alive come New Year’s Day – courtesy of the flashforward episode – so while death may not be on the cards at this moment in time, one can’t help but wonder just how far Ravi will go.

And speaking of Max, has Linda finally put her feelings for the lothario aside in a bid to move on with Clive? As she prepares for their date, she very much feels ready to move on – that is until Kim (Tameka Empson) lets slip that Max played a key role in saving the community centre.

When Clive shows up, he reveals that the centre is secure, with Linda left reeling as a result. Now that her wish has come true, the question is: can she and Clive move on with their lives together?

Or is Max still lingering in the back of her heart?

EastEnders airs these scenes Thursday September 3 at 7:30pm on BBC One or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.

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People from Belfast have helped fund three maternity mobile units, which are being refused entry into Gaza

A debate and proposal at Belfast City Hall about three Irish maternity vehicles sent to help pregnant Palestinian women in Gaza has descended into a slanging match over the word “genocide”.

A motion to lobby against the blocking of the maternity units turned into an intractable culture war row at the September meeting of the full Belfast City Council on Tuesday with unionists on one side of the debate, and the rest of the parties on the other.

In the end the “Mobile Maternity Units for Gaza” motion, proposed by Independent Councillor Paul Doherty, and seconded by Independent Councillor Paul McCusker, both of them former SDLP representatives, was passed, but without the support of the DUP, the UUP and the TUV. Representatives from the Gaels Against Genocide volunteer group gave a deputation at the start of the meeting on the issue.

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Practically, the successful motion means the council will write to all the NI Executive ministers, calling on them to make “urgent” representations to the Irish Government, UK Government and other relevant international bodies to secure the immediate and unrestricted entry of three mobile maternity units, sent by Irish volunteers Gaels Against Genocide, to Gaza.

The motion states: “This council notes with grave concern the continuing genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the devastating impact on pregnant women, newborn babies and families requiring urgent medical care. It further notes that three mobile maternity units have been developed to provide safe and secure maternity and newborn care for women and babies in Gaza.

“(We) commend the extraordinary fundraising efforts of Gaels Against Genocide and communities across Belfast, the North and across Ireland which have made these three mobile maternity units possible.

“Many Belfast residents have contributed directly to this humanitarian effort, demonstrating the depth of solidarity in our city with Palestinian women, babies and families. (We are) deeply concerned that, despite these efforts and the urgent humanitarian need, the units have not been permitted to enter Gaza, and believe that humanitarian medical aid must never be blocked, and that pregnant women and babies must be protected in all circumstances.”

Representatives from the DUP, the UUP, and the TUV all said that they supported the maternity units entering Gaza, but would not support the motion over the use of the word “genocide.” On a poll in the chamber, 14 elected representatives voted against the motion, from the DUP, UUP and TUV, while all the other parties, including two independents, that is 38 councillors in all, voted to support the motion, and it was passed.

Councillor Doherty said: “This motion tonight is not about politics, it is not about creating division, it is about a basic question of humanity. Three mobile maternity units have been built, and they are ready.

“They were created for women giving birth in conditions that no woman should ever endure. As representatives of Gaels Against Genocide have clearly outlined, these units were created because their maternity hospitals have been damaged and destroyed, because medical supplies have been restricted and doctors and nurses are trying to provide care in circumstances that are almost impossible for us to comprehend.

“Above all of that, women are giving birth in the midst of a genocide. And still these units are being prevented from reaching people they were built to help. That should shock all of us, and should be absolutely deplorable.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Micheal Donnelly said: “The Israeli genocide has already claimed the lives of over 73,000 Palestinians. Over 38,000 of these have been women and children, and 21,700 specifically children.

“The denial of Palestinian national human rights has been the most totemic national democratic struggle of our era. Netanyahu and the Israeli right wing are intent on trying to annihilate the Palestinian people and the full colonisation of all their lands.”

He added: “There can be no justification for preventing life-saving maternal care from reaching pregnant women. Mobile maternity units must be allowed into Gaza urgently, safely and without obstruction.”

DUP Alderman Dean McCullough said: “I would respectfully ask the proposer if he is willing to remove the reference to genocide. It is obviously a contested term, and I appreciate members will hold very strong opposing views on it. The deputation at the outset of the council was a very sincere one, which I don’t even think mentioned genocide.

“(He could drop the word) for the sake of getting the consensus, which I think would be quite something in Belfast City Council. Because we are very clear, any right-thinking person or party wants maternity units in Palestine or any other conflict zone. If we focus on humanitarianism, we need not even debate.”

He asked Councillor Doherty to omit the word from the motion, to which Councillor Doherty replied: “No I will not accept that. This is absolutely a genocide.”

Alderman McCullough said he was “disappointed” with the reply, and added: “The loaded language, which is unnecessary, leaves us no option but to oppose that aspect. But we absolutely support the humanitarianism.”

He added: “I do not accept that Israel is committing genocide, and I reject that allegation. I appreciate the sensitivities of the subject. The International Court of Justice has not found that Israel is committing a genocide, so I will not support Belfast City Council pretending that we can make a ruling when the international court itself has not.”

TUV Councillor Ron McDowell said: “By and large the motion as it stands is a largely inoffensive motion. I don’t think anyone would be against the sentiment.” He asked: “So why will you not adopt a motion of consensus, by focusing on the things that we agree on, and dropping the political element.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Ryan Murphy made a “point of order” and asked if there was “a conflict of interest with Councillor McDowell’s speaking on the subject.” Councillor Murphy raised a “fact finding mission” by Councillor McDowell as an official guest of the Israeli government which took place last year.

Councillor Murphy said: “I am interested around when he went out to Palestine, was this issue of trying to diminish, or to not use the word genocide, discussed when he was doing that visit?”

Amidst calls across the chamber from Alderman McCullough, the Lord Mayor Róis Máire Donnelly said such declarations were “down to the individual.” Councillor McDowell said he was “looking for consensus not division” and said Councillor Murphy “lowered the tone of the debate.”

People Before Profit Councillor Michael Collins said: “I think there is something really cynical about the unionist parties trying to suggest it is all on the rest of this chamber, somehow, to get this motion over the line.

“You can nitpick on whether it is a genocide, but the Genocide Convention has deemed it a genocide, Amnesty International has deemed it a genocide, and the UN itself has deemed it a genocide.

“We know the DUP and Ron willingly go over to do meet and greets with Zionist ministers, and whoever else. We know you don’t have a problem with apartheid, with bombing innocent civilians in Gaza, and you have defended every action Israel took, and defended them to the hilt. We know you have no problem with illegal settlements.

“I don’t understand you saying you just want to be humanitarian, the reality is you have a motion before you about three maternity mobile units that are being denied access to Gaza, and you can’t bring yourself to vote for it. That is on you, it is not on anybody else.

“The party that claims to be pro-life, and chastises everyone in this chamber, can’t bring themselves to support three maternity units for babies in Gaza.”

Councillor Ron McDowell said he was “misrepresented” and added: “I have a problem with apartheid, I see something wrong with illegal settlements, I support ambulances going into Gaza, I don’t support the wording of this motion and I have to separate the two.”

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