Belfast Won’t Always Be Like This is not affiliated to any political party. It is not affiliated to any ideology, religious belief, or underpinned by any social construct.
We are a progressive, humanist, and inclusive project. We are lifelong students of history, law, and anthropology. We believe in fundamental human rights, to which everyone is entitled.
The words on this poster lingered after the killing of our friend. The violence that we had witnessed our whole lives took from us again. We welcome anyone of any walk of life, but we do not accept intolerance, violence, sectarianism, misogyny, or racism. We live in a world so polarized and divided, it motivated us to bridge those gaps.
We believe Belfast deserves better; Northern Ireland deserves better. From a Stormont that doesn’t deliver to the upcoming and seemingly unstoppable gentrification displacing us from our homes and neighborhoods; to the mental health crisis, reflected in overdoses and suicide rates, of our young people especially following 2 years of isolation, we want to move forward. Onwards. Together.
We cross communities and we cross groups. We highlighted community organizations, grassroots projects, artists, and activists that prove the rest of the UK - and Europe, and beyond - that Northern Ireland is more than what is in the press; that we can be more than the little trust that’s been placed in us. We hope you will take the time to find a project that is close to you and support it in whatever way you can and we welcome any idea, any project, any portrait you think can help Belfast. We are you, and you are us.
It won’t always be like this. It will get better.
