First Minister the Rev Ian Paisley referred to Martin Luther King in the Northern Assembly yesterday and spoke passionately about his dream where people in Northern Ireland could easily live and work together regardless of their political, religious or ethnic backgrounds.
Dr Paisley, when discussing an Alliance Party motion on the need for a "shared future" in Northern Ireland, also implicitly gave an undertaking that he would promote equality for all groups, including gays and lesbians.
Dr Paisley did not specifically mention homosexuality or the recent Hot Press remarks of his son and junior Minister Ian Paisley jnr, that he was "pretty repulsed" by homosexuality. But it was clear to what he was referring when he "prefaced" his comments on a shared future with his comment that his office was "totally committed to promoting equality and human rights".
And he added, "The First Minister and Deputy First Minister are completely opposed to any form of discrimination or harassment against any citizen. So are all in their offices and those under them."
On the motion itself, Dr Paisley said there was no doubt that a shared society must be created. "Like another King, I have a dream where children can play together, where people can work together and where families can live happily side by side, regardless of their community background, their ethnic background or their religious beliefs."
Dr Paisley said that conflict and violence had left a profound legacy and "time was needed to mend relationships, to heal wounds, to repair fractured communities".
"But let us be clear: intolerance, sectarianism and racism or violence must have no place in this or any other society." The First Minister said he sent his children to a mixed school.
"They brought their Roman Catholic mates home with them and my hadn't they all great appetites. I knew that to my cost. But I was happy to see them and I am glad today those people are still friends of mine even though I disagree with them in their religion and they with my religion, and although they disagree with me politically and I disagree with them politically."
He added, "It is right that we get the people of our beautiful province living together, working together, enjoying one another's company and I trust that we will see more of this.
"I have lived in Northern Ireland 81 years. I have some little experience of the ordinary man of the street. The ordinary man of the street today, both nationalists and unionists, Roman Catholic, Protestant, or any other religion, there is all within them today a hope that something has changed, that we are going to move forward to better times.
"We in this Assembly can be the persons that can lead this community to a community that will do this part of this island proud, and I look forward to that."
