Rivals Square Up Over 'Grotesque’ Stormont Commemoration

A proposed Stormont commemoration for an IRA member shot by the SAS has come under fire from a senior Ulster unionist politican - whose party is planning a similar event to recognise and honour the SAS's role in The Troubles.

Mairead Farrell was one of the three unarmed IRA members shot by members of the SAS 20 years ago in Gibraltar and Sinn Fein’s Jennifer McCann has proposed a commemoration for Ms Farrell in Stormont's Long Gallery.

Danny Kennedy, Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, has slammed the idea as “grotesque and completely unacceptable" and has written to the events office at Stormont demanding the event is blocked.

Mr Kennedy called the proposals an abusive of privilege on behalf of any Assembly member to use the surroundings for such a controversial purpose.

However, Ms McCann, the Sinn Féin Assembly Member for West Belfast later defended her plans and said she did not intend to offend unionists.

“I'm not asking anyone to agree with what I am doing, but I am saying they should respect it. Stormont is a shared space and that's the way it has to be seen,” she said.

DUP MLA Nelson McCausland also joined Mr Kennedy after it became apparent that the Sinn Fein MLA had initially booked the Stormont facility under the name of International Woman’s Day.

The DUP member said it was ludicrous for Jennifer McCann to claim that such an event had anything to do with International Women's Day, while Danny Kennedy said the plans were “entirely inappropriate and misleading and should not be allowed”.

Meanwhile, the issue has been further escalated with news the DUP wants to remember the role of the British Army's speacialist SAS during the Troubles too, while Sinn Fein wants to celebrate the life of IRA bomber Mairead Farrell - killed by the same regiment.

(DW)