Derry & Strabane Council joins call for Paul Givan to resign as Education Minster over Israel visit

At October’s Full Council Meeting, Sinn Féin Councillor Pat Murphy criticised Mr Givan and other unionist representatives for their choice to visit Israel “in the midst of a genocide”.

Councillor Murphy branded the images of the Minister ‘who presides over the education of every child in the North’ visiting a country where the regime ‘has murdered 19,000 school children’ ‘grotesque’ and ‘appalling’.

“Trade unions representing teachers are outraged by the minister’s visit. They cite the minister using the department’s official website, to post a number of inappropriate social media posts, as a cause for grave concern."

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin said Mr Givan’s visit was a “disgrace” and put forward a successful motion, which included the text: “Council agrees an education minister who believes it is acceptable to stand with a state whose political leaders and military are charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, occupation and apartheid is not a fit person to oversee the educational welfare of our children.”

Protests were held over the weekend, ahead of a motion of no confidence in the Minister, which was due to be tabled at Stormont.

Paul Givan has responded to criticism over the trip in a ‘personal statement’ on social media saying he had been ‘vilified by those who have sought to call into question my character and my commitment to the people of Northern Ireland’.

"Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, the SDLP, and Alliance are fooling no one. We can all see right through this smokescreen,” he said.

The DUP MLA added: "I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been in touch with messages of support. I will continue to represent the people of Lagan Valley and Northern Ireland with the same energy and enthusiasm that I have always brought to public life.”

Speaking as he tabled the motion at the Council meeting in Derry, Councillor Harkin said: “The minister says he went to Israel to see their wonderful and great education system, because it’s a democracy.

“This is not a wonderful education system, it’s an apartheid system, and it’s an absolute disgrace that the Education Minister is there and using social media to promote the event."

SDLP councillor Catherine McDaid agreed with calls for Mr Givan’s resignation.

“I just cannot fathom why the Minister for Education here would be spending time in an apartheid state that’s committing genocide while we have children here without special education provision, parents are having to fight tooth and nail to get transport, there are schools that are literally falling apart."

Colr., McDaid added that the DUP ‘need to have a long hard look at themselves’. “On the wrong side of history again and their divisive politics continues to cause pain to so many people.”

In response, DUP Alderman Niree McMorris said representatives of other parties should be “mindful” of their colleagues’ actions.

“If you’re going to call out the DUP then you need to sweep your own doors as well, because it’s not okay to heroise terrorists murderers and then think it’s not acceptable for somebody to go and visit schools in Israel.

“I find it very offensive that somebody would say that because we are DUP, that we’re in some way on the wrong side of history.”

Independent councillor Gary Donnelly said Mr Givan’s actions were “grotesque, but not surprising”.

He abstained from voting on the motion, while UUP and DUP representatives voted against it and all other members voted in favour.

A Department of Education spokesperson said the Minister while in Israel visited Ofek School ‘to learn about the approach they take to support diverse learners within a high-achieving environment’. “Following his tour of Ofek School, the Education Minister requested the educational visit was highlighted on the Department’s social media channels.”