Press release

Church of Stop Shopping to Lead Mourners in Jazz Funeral for Democracy

18 September 2013

Environmentalists will take part in a New Orleans style "Jazz Funeral for Democracy", as part of Culture Night Belfast, which takes place on Friday 20 September 2013.

The procession and funeral rites will be led by New York performance artists and direct activists, Reverend Billy Talen of the Church of Stop Shopping, and Nehemiah Luckett, music director of the singer-activists, the Stop Shopping Choir[1].

They are in Northern Ireland as guests of Friends of the Earth, and as well as overseeing the jazz funeral, they will be performing street preaching[2], and a "Sunday Service" at the John Hewitt pub in Belfast[3].

The pair will also be taking part in a peace march from Carlisle Circus to Belfast City Hall on the afternoon of Saturday 21 September[4].

The funeral for democracy has been organised by Friends of the Earth in the wake of what it sees as multi-lateral assaults on the rights of Northern Ireland citizens by both Westminster and Stormont[5], including: consolidating anonymity for donors to Northern Ireland political parties; removing the right to participate in the planning system or challenge bad decisions; and draconian proposals to limit the rights of UK campaign groups to operate in the year before a General Election.

Reverend Billy said:

"Our lamentations are caused by Northern Ireland's regulatory and democratic failures, all a part of global environmental injustice, which must end if we are to avoid a general funeral for much of humanity and all Earth-life."

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland Director, James Orr, said:

"Westminster and Stormont politicians are showing their contempt for people power in ways unimaginable ten years ago.

"Reverend Billy and Nehemiah are coming here because whilst they want to help us mourn democracy, they agree with us that democracy can never really be dead, as long as citizens are prepared to get together and resurrect it.

"This weekend we invite everyone to witness the courageous, entertaining, inspiring work of two of the world's most imaginative and engaging environmental activists.  With their help we can raise democracy from the grave."

Notes

[1] For more information about Reverend Billy and Nehemiah's work, go to www.revbilly.com and www.revbilly.com/about-us/the-stop-shopping-gospel-choir

[2] The pair will perform in Corn Market at 1pm on Saturday 21 September

[3] They will be performing in the John Hewitt from 3.30pm on Sunday 22 September

[4] For more information on this event go to http://www.corrymeela.org/events

[5] Some of these are:

• Changes to legislation on the right to know who funds political parties in Northern Ireland, making a temporary suspension of this right permanent
• Amendments to the 2013 Planning Bill by Sinn Fein and DUP that would hand extensive planning power over to OFMdFM, as well as limiting the right to take judicial reviews against bad decisions, thus fatally undermining the principles of the right to participate and challenge in the planning system
• The failure of former DUP Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, to transpose the 2013 Westminster Defamation Act to Northern Ireland, meaning that journalistic and campaigner freedom will still be impeded in a corner of the UK when the new law comes into force on 1 January next year
• The Lobbying Bill 2013, which contains draconian restrictions on the rights of campaigning organisations to operate freely for 12 months before every General Election
• The continued abuse of the mechanism of Petition of Concern, especially by DUP and Sinn Fein, which makes it impossible for civil society to effect real change, even when a majority of MLAs are in favour of a particular reform

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Limited