Write a commentNewry and Armagh MLA, Megan Fearon has called for a referendum on Irish unity saying that the Good Friday Agreement offers the route-map to the peaceful reunification of Ireland.
Speaking at a protest organised by the Border Communities Against Brexit (BCAB) Group which marked the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the MLA said “Despite ongoing political challenges, Ireland has been transformed over the past two decades as a result of the peace process. We have emerged from decades of political conflict towards a more prosperous, peaceful and democratic society and the Good Friday Agreement is the foundation stone.
"Much has been achieved over these past 20 years, but massive work remains unfinished and the challenges before us are great, but not insurmountable.
"The Good Friday Agreement is under attack by the Tory and DUP hardliners as a result of Brexit.
"Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement are incompatible. It undermines the institutional, constitutional and legal integrity and status of the Good Friday Agreement.
"The Good Friday Agreement’s political institutions, human rights guarantees, all-Ireland bodies, the constitutional and legal right of the people to exercise their right to self-determination and a united Ireland through consent, must all be protected".
She concluded "Brexit also exposes the undemocratic nature of partition. Ending partition has now taken on a new dynamic because of Brexit.
"The Good Friday Agreement offers the route-map to the peaceful reunification of our country.
"There should be a referendum on Irish unity within the next five years and we are calling on progressives and democrats to demand that the British and Irish governments agree a date for such a referendum."
