Language campaigners in Ireland and Wales have issued a join warning that the DUP's influence over the British Government is a threat to minority groups, including minoritised languages.   

The DUP has voted consistently against Irish language legislation in the north of Ireland as well as opposing the rights of other minorities, such as LGBT people.  Members of the DUP have been censured both locally and Internationally for their hostile and outrageous attacks on the Irish language in recent years.    

Tomos Jones, Cymdeithas yr Iaith's international officer commented: 

"The DUP is a prejudiced party which persecutes the Irish language, and wants it eradicated. We as a group strongly oppose letting such a reactionary party have any influence over the British Government – influence which threatens the best chance in generations for a language act in the north of Ireland. We in Cymdeithas celebrate diversity, but the DUP stands for the complete opposite. It wants to use its power to homogenise, by undermining the Irish language and the rights of other minorities. We in Wales stand in solidarity with our Irish friends who want to see the Irish language flourish." 

 Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin from Irish language group Conradh na Gaeilge added: 

"The Irish language community in the north have a long and painful experience of exclusion and marginalization from the state and much of this, particularly in the past 10 years, has been as a result of the DUP's steadfast refusal to acknowledge our existence through the provision of rights based legislation. Despite overwhelming public support as evidenced by every public consultation and huge demonstrations, international backing from the UN and Council of Europe and more recently, a majority of elected assembly members supporting legislation, the DUP continues to use it's veto to prevent progress on this important matter."