| Letter from 'Legal Services Department, Belfast City Council' |
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Dear Sirs
re: The Vacuum
As a result of a recommendation ratified by the Council on the 1st november 2004, I have been instructed with regard to matters arising from the Council's decision to withhold the second tranche of funding in respect of 'The Vacuum' element of the application. |
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| As you will be aware from correspondence from the Council's Development Department, the Council determined that funding would be withheld until an apology was offered relating to articles contained within to editions of 'The Vacuum' entitled 'God' and 'Satan'. The Council's actions were a response to complaints relating to material observed to be offensive, sacreligious, insulting of specific church groups together with the use of obscene language in the publications referred to. |
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| The Council has since agreed not to impose any new conditions for future funding, thus an assurance that your publication will comply with any such criteria in the future is unnecessary. However the Council has in place a good relations policy and has no desire to be associated with publications that tend to cause offence to persons on account of religious or political belief, gender, disability or race. In addition the Council does not wish to be associated with pornographic or sexually explicit material. |
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| The Council respects the right to freedom of expression and recognises the fact that controversy may follow the publication of certain articles. It has not sought to impose any form of editorial control or to impose conditions that influence the range of topics that may be written about. |
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| Whilst I understand that the topics contained in these publications are by their nature emotive, the Council takes the view that some of the articles within them were written in a way designed to court controversy by causing offence. As a public body representing the public interest, whilst maintaining its commitment to the arts community, the Council seeks an apology or some expression of regret for the offence experienced by some of its citizens as a result of the articles in question. |
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| I am satisfied that the Council's decision to withhold funding is lawful in the circumstances. However, this matter can be settled by way of the apology or expression of regret referred to above. Upon receipt of this I can arrange for the release of the second tranche of funds. |
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| I look forward to hearing from you in due course. |
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John Walsh
Principle Solicitor |
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