Bill of Rights initiative has strong support

By Amy Ryan – 15 January 2010

Double-decker buses pass by the City Hall dozens of times each day.

But they aren’t usually being pulled by international strongman Glenn Ross.

Ross, who is a four-time UK Strongest Man, put all his 36-stones behind a new initiative to introduce a strong and inclusive Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

Pupils from Malone College also participated in the event which was designed to show how, by working together, the weak can be made strong.

A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland was first proposed in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

The Human Rights Consortium is calling for the implementation of the Bill with additional social and economic protections, such as the right to housing, work and healthcare.

Last November research showed that cross-community support for the inclusion of these rights stood at over 80%.

The Human Rights Consortium is a coalition of more than 140 community and voluntary groups, trade unions and non-governmental organisations.