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13/08/2013
Unionists Complain Over Kelly IRA Speech
Unionist politicians have lodged a formal complaint to the Assembly standards watchdog, following a speech by Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly at an IRA memorial parade.
Mr Kelly made the speech before a march in Castlederg, County Tyrone, which commemorated two IRA men, Seamus Harvey and Gerard McGlynn, who were killed 40 years ago when a bomb they were carrying accidentally exploded.
A formal complaint has been lodged by West Tyrone MLA Tom Buchanan, asking for the Commissioner for Standards establish if Mr Kelly's remarks are in breach of the Code of Conduct for MLAs.
"The glorification of terrorism is a criminal offence," the complaint says.
"His decision to heap praise on those who died while actively breaking the law (transporting a bomb) is in clear breach of the duty to uphold the law.
"His decision to attend and the aggressive and pointed nature of his comments show that he was fully conscious of what he was doing when he attended the event. He must be made accountable for his actions."
Ulster Unionist Leader Mike Nesbitt said Mr Kelly's comments had "given support to so-called dissident republicans".
Mr Nesbitt said: "The problem is he is giving support to those who continue to bring terrorism onto our streets.
"He can tell us until he is blue in the face that he supports the peace process and condemns the violence coming from the so-called dissidents, but he cannot get away from the fact that the only difference between him and the current crop of terrorists is that they disagree over whether the "conditions" justify the use of force.
"The fact is people like Gerry Kelly wrote the manual that the dissidents are using to continue to visit terrorism onto the streets of our country. All right thinking people take a different view to his. They say terrorism is to be viewed in absolute terms, without the sort of qualification Sinn Fein try to justify."
DUP MLA Arlene Foster welcomed the news that files will be passed to the Director of Public Prosecution in relation to the Castlederg parade.
She said: "I have spoken to Chief Superintendent Martin from G District today in relation to the terrorist commemoration parade in Castlederg. He has confirmed that the PSNI are preparing files to be passed to the Director of Public Prosecution. I will also be having a discussion later today with Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton about the PSNI’s response to the parade."
(IT/CD)
Mr Kelly made the speech before a march in Castlederg, County Tyrone, which commemorated two IRA men, Seamus Harvey and Gerard McGlynn, who were killed 40 years ago when a bomb they were carrying accidentally exploded.
A formal complaint has been lodged by West Tyrone MLA Tom Buchanan, asking for the Commissioner for Standards establish if Mr Kelly's remarks are in breach of the Code of Conduct for MLAs.
"The glorification of terrorism is a criminal offence," the complaint says.
"His decision to heap praise on those who died while actively breaking the law (transporting a bomb) is in clear breach of the duty to uphold the law.
"His decision to attend and the aggressive and pointed nature of his comments show that he was fully conscious of what he was doing when he attended the event. He must be made accountable for his actions."
Ulster Unionist Leader Mike Nesbitt said Mr Kelly's comments had "given support to so-called dissident republicans".
Mr Nesbitt said: "The problem is he is giving support to those who continue to bring terrorism onto our streets.
"He can tell us until he is blue in the face that he supports the peace process and condemns the violence coming from the so-called dissidents, but he cannot get away from the fact that the only difference between him and the current crop of terrorists is that they disagree over whether the "conditions" justify the use of force.
"The fact is people like Gerry Kelly wrote the manual that the dissidents are using to continue to visit terrorism onto the streets of our country. All right thinking people take a different view to his. They say terrorism is to be viewed in absolute terms, without the sort of qualification Sinn Fein try to justify."
DUP MLA Arlene Foster welcomed the news that files will be passed to the Director of Public Prosecution in relation to the Castlederg parade.
She said: "I have spoken to Chief Superintendent Martin from G District today in relation to the terrorist commemoration parade in Castlederg. He has confirmed that the PSNI are preparing files to be passed to the Director of Public Prosecution. I will also be having a discussion later today with Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton about the PSNI’s response to the parade."
(IT/CD)
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