A SINN FÉIN MP has apologised after he posted a video of himself with a loaf of Kingsmill bread on his head on the anniversary of the notorious Kingsmill massacre.
Barry McElduff MP shared the video online shortly after midnight yesterday and has since deleted it saying that he didn’t notice the connection between the product brand name and the anniversary.
The infamous massacre saw a van carrying group of textile workers pulled over by men disguised as British soldiers on 5 January 1976. The protestant workers were lined up and asked their religion before the gunmen opened fire, ten men were killed.
A 2011 inquiry found that those who carried out the massacre were members of the Provisional IRA who were acting under the name the South Armagh Republican Action Force.
The West Tyrone MP regularly publishes wacky posts on social media and this latest video shows him walking up and down the aisle of a petrol station with a loaf of bread on his head.
With the bread on his head, he asks: “I’m in the classic service station here, but I’m just wondering, where does McCullough’s keep the bread?”
The post was up throughout yesterday but has now been taken down amid criticism.
In a statement, McElduff said he didn’t notice the connection between the bread’s brand name and the date and he apologised if it caused offence.
I deleted a video post from my Twitter account this morning. When I posted the video I had not realised or imagined for a second that there was any possible link between the brand name of the bread and the Kingsmill anniversary.It was never my intention to hurt or cause offence to anyone and in particular to victims of the conflict who have suffered so grievously. I apologise unreservedly for the hurt and pain this post has caused.
The video was criticised by several unionist politicians, with the DUP claiming that the timing was “calculated and deliberate”.
“Yesterday was a difficult day for the families of the ten men murdered at Kingsmill. They held a small dignified service at the memorial for the families. They continue to grieve in the absence of justice,” said DUP MLA William Irwin.
“The Sinn Fein leadership must give an explanation as to why their Member of Parliament would post such a bizarre video. Was it tomfoolery or a blatant insult to innocent victims? ”
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