Community groups and politicians are pledging their support for the fightback against the government ban on advertising in the new West Belfast-based national newspaper Daily Ireland.
And Daily Ireland publisher Máirtín Ó Muilleoir says he's been overwhelmed by the public response to the newspaper's decision to take on the powers-that-be.
"There are four daily newspapers in this part of the world, three get ads, one doesn't. Years ago, the government practised the same type of discrimination in employment but the ordinary nationalist people didn't let them away with that and they're not going to allow them get away with this new-style discrimination now either," he said.
"Daily Ireland has been singled out by unionists for attacks even before it launched but it has proven itself to be a first-class newspaper, unafraid to present the news in a balanced fashion while reflecting the views of mainstream, pro-United Ireland nationalism. We're not going to give in to this political vetting by government and are confident the same community which stood by us when Belfast City Council banned ads from the Andersonstown News will stand by us against this latest act of political vetting. With the support of our readers, advertisers and investors, Daily Ireland is here for the long haul."
Daily Ireland now sells over 10,000 copies a day.
"That's an amazing achievement from a standing start and is a testament to the loyalty of our readers," added Máirtín Ó Muilleoir.
Daily Ireland has launched a landmark legal case with the Equality Commission against the government ads ban and has won the support of the National Union of Journalists.
West Belfast Partnership Board Chief Executive Geraldine McAteer says the jobs created by Daily Ireland must be protected.
"This is the type of skills-based investment West Belfast needs and, like Andor Technology, Curley's and Deltaprint, the Andersonstown News Group is a West Belfast success story. Daily Ireland, located in the heart of West Belfast, acts as an ambassador for this area in our continued efforts to attract more investment and we are giving it our full backing."
