No place in NI for public glorification of terrorism, Little-Pengelly says

There is “no place” in Northern Ireland for the public glorification of terrorism, Emma Little-Pengelly has said.

Asked about recent actions by Michelle O’Neill, the deputy First Minister said her colleague in the Executive Office was “answerable for her own activities”.

The DUP has criticised First Minister Ms O’Neill’s recent decision to attend the unveiling of a statue of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.

Mr Sands died aged 27 during the 1981 hunger strike, in which 10 republican paramilitary prisoners starved themselves to death.

The statue of the hunger striker and former MP was unveiled at the Republican Memorial Garden in Twinbrook earlier this month.

Speaking during ministerial question time, DUP MLA Paul Frew said: “Does the deputy First Minister agree with me that the crass and hurtful glorification of terrorism by the First Minister goes against the code of conduct for ministers, goes against the spirit of peace and reconciliation and makes a nonsense of the claim to be a First Minister for all?”

Ms Little-Pengelly said: “The First Minister, of course, is answerable for her own activities, but I can say very clearly to this place that I believe that any glorification of terrorism is wrong.

“Of course families may want to remember their loved one and can do so privately, of course that is understandable.

“But the public glorification of those that have been convicted of terrorist activities, in my view, is absolutely wrong.

“It has no part to play, it never had any part to play in Northern Ireland.

“It certainly has no part to play in our future.

“I would like us all to be able to stand up absolutely united against paramilitarism, intimidation, threats and indeed any glorification of the same.”

Ms O’Neill last week said that her attendance at the event demonstrated her pledge to be a “First Minister for all” because she attended a VE Day event afterwards.

She told UTV: “Bobby Sands is a huge figure, a huge iconic figure in terms of republicans here in Ireland, but also in terms of the whole historical political journey that we have been on.

“The hunger strikes marked a pivotal time in our history. So I was very honoured to be there and to be part of the ceremony on Sunday.”

She said after attending the statue unveiling “I went on to attend the service at St Anne’s Cathedral to mark the end of the Second World War”.

Ms O’Neill added: “That’s a First Minister for all in actually demonstrating in actions that I will fulfil that promise.”