Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) is an Irish Nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The party’s aims are to reunite Ireland by peaceful means and to win equal rights for all people. The SDLP rejects the use of political violence and supports cooperation between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The party’s headquarters are in Belfast.
The party was founded in 1970 by leaders of Northern Ireland’s civil rights movement and members of the labor movement. Gerry Fitt , one of the party’s founders, led the party until 1979. John Hume , a Northern Ireland politician, succeeded Fitt. Hume served as the SDLP leader for more than 20 years. He played a leading role in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990’s.
See also Fitt, Gerry ; Hume, John .
