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DUP LEADER ARLENE Foster has challenged Sinn Féin to condemn IRA murder bids against both her late father and the DUP’s deputy leader.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader singled out the two Troubles incidents as she suggested the republican party was being selective on what it will condemn.
Her remarks come amid a row about loyalist banners that have appeared in the North Belfast constituency making a series of allegations against Sinn Féin candidate John Finucane and his family, including his solicitor father Pat, who was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries during the conflict.
Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald had called on unionist leaders to condemn what she described as a “sinister and dangerous campaign of threats and intimidation” against the Finucanes.
At the launch of a DUP policy paper this morning, deputy leader Nigel Dodds condemned the posters, making clear his party would have nothing to do with anything that demonised or smeared rival candidates.
Foster followed-up those remarks with her challenge to Sinn Féin.
“It is a bit rich to listen to people talking about violence and hate crimes and what have you,” she said.
“We need complete clarity from Sinn Féin around some of the most violent acts that took place here in Northern Ireland. What do they have to say about the attempted murder of my father for example, what do they have to say about the attempted murder of Nigel Dodds?
“We need to hear from them what they have to say about that.”
Foster’s policeman father John Kelly was badly injured when the IRA shot him in the head at their family farm in Co Fermanagh in 1979.
In 1996, a policeman was shot and injured when the IRA tried to murder Dodds as he visited his seriously ill son in the Royal Children’s Hospital in west Belfast.
Dodds also referenced the hospital assassination bid when asked about the posters at the launch of the DUP’s 12-point plan titled Let’s Get NI Moving Again.
The 12 priorities outlined in this plan are:
Banner issue
On the loyalist banner issue, Dodds said: “The banners and posters have nothing to do with our campaign. We knew nothing about them and I want to make it very, very clear that anything that is personally abusive or offensive, inaccurate and smearing of any candidate in any political party is to be condemned and is nothing to do with a proper democratic debate or a democratic election, so I want to make that very, very clear indeed.
“Our party has been crystal clear on these issues, on violence and on the use of violence. And the challenge to all parties is the same – we see some vile internet trolling of victims, of unionists politicians as well, and that’s to be condemned also.”
Dodds added: “But there’s also a challenge to Sinn Féin in this election; They can’t be selective here. We condemn every act of violence from every paramilitary organisation – do they do that, will they do that? Will they condemn the IRA who went into a hospital 20 years ago and shot a police officer guarding me? Do they condemn it? No, they don’t.
“Will they stop eulogising the violent perpetrators of the IRA – it’s time they were challenged on some of this stuff and not be selective about it.
“Our position is clear – we will have no part in anything that demonises or has any personal offence or personal abuse against any candidate, it’s not part of our campaign and we will not be part of it.”
In a speech earlier today, DUP leader Arlene Foster said the stakes “could not be higher” for NI and its future at the moment.
“We understand, and share, the frustrations that we are not able to get things done here locally via a Northern Ireland Executive.” she said. “We want to work with other parties to get Northern Ireland moving again.”
With reporting by Orla Dwyer.
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Her father was called John Kelly, a souper name if ever there was one.
Arlene tries pretty hard to hide her Catholic ancestry.
@bopter: He wasn’t ever her real father. He was a Foster parent…
@bopter: do you live in the past a lot?
@Phil O’ Meara: da Dum tish
Why won’t Arlene Kelly Foster apologies to the thousand of Northern Irish she conned for her Cash for Ash scheme
Enquiry I think, is only around the corner ?
@Declan O Toole: yes and it allegedly find SF were no saints in the matter either.
@Conoroconnor: care to elaborate on that?
@Ossi Fritsche: maybe sge wll when S.F. do likewise to the people they conned with the same scheme.
Seriously they bring up the distant past because they’re getting called out on what their people (UDA etc.) are doing currently. Whataboutery to the nth degree. Pathetic.
@ObsidianShine: Both sides of the divide have committed atrocities, both may be due an apology from the other. And after that we have to put the past and the hurt behind us, no more retaliations, no more tit for tat. If we truly want peace, this is part of the price.
@Arch Angel: Yes I agree but that should all be done as part of a truth and reconciliation commission which the DUP have always been against. This current call for an apology is a cynical attempt to move the conversation regarding DUP/UDA activists hanging disgusting banners in relation to John Finucane, his father Pat and their family,as far as I’m concerned. If they want to deal with the past legitimately let them back a truth and reconciliation commission and all sides own up to and apologise for what they did. Including the British and Irish States.
@ObsidianShine: Forget about truth commissions and all that, it’s only a form of more whataboutery. There’s two things that can be done. Either everyone involved in anything is still liable for prosecution or a line is drawn at 1998 and everything that happened before is locked away in the past. I’d be firmly in favour of drawing that line.
@Steven Moens: No, I’d agree with you on drawing the line in that anything that happened prior to the GFA should not be prosecuted, but in my opinion that should only be the case as long as the perpetrators engage fully in the truth and reconciliation commission process in order to try to give victims and their loved ones some reasoning, clarity, and closure.
I think both sides have plenty to apologise for but one side finger wagging at the other will get nobody anywhere. I don’t suppose Arlene could try to leave the past where it belongs and do what she’s paid for, work towards a better future for the people who voted for her and her party.
@Seamus Murphy: Both sides can be a misleading description because it tends to refer to the Unionist V Nationalist/Republican communities as been the source of the problem, and therefore overlooks that one sides was backed, directed and controlled in a military sense by the British State (call it a third side). so, lets get real here. Its not just the DUP and Unionism that continues to resist a Truth and Reconciliation Commission – Its successive British Governments who have resisted the strongest – because it has most to lose by being exposed. Soldier F – is the crumb thrown to us, as a token distraction. This has also been the Irish Governments weakest hour by neglecting to support a Peace Commission, or to even get it on the agenda. One might even think Dublin has got things to hide too!
Right after the DUP condemns the British Invasion of Ireland, the slaughter and enslavement of its people
@Tony Corbàn: they didn’t invade they were invited over by Mc Murrough to help him keep Leinster and then it went from there
@FlopFlipU: define and explain how it went from there. Leinster is not Ulster. Are you saying there was of flood of invites went out to the British from Ulster people to come over and take their lands, “we don’t really need them and we know you will manage them better”. such a convenient way of explaining away a take-over plantation process. and of course no force or violence was used. That only arrived in the 20th century with those pesky fenians.
@FlopFlipU: Now now – don’t confuse Tony with facts!
@FlopFlipU: kind of except they were Norman’s – if the Irish want to blame anyone then it should be Pope Adrian and after that the Papacy that financed King Billy’s campaign. How Irish people stay Catholic always baffles me
Why is she referencing the past? The reality is loyalist intimidation against the Finucanes… Can’t bring the past everything a new issue arises with loyalists etc…. as a counter argument! The tables are turning and the DUP got knocked of their perch in the Brexit saga…. Attitudes are changing… The DUP will be left behind with their backward opinions and entitlement
What shes really saying is. Don’t elect me because I screwed with your futures, elect me because I’m keeping your horrible history alive in your present. Elect the voice of NEVER, elect hate and bigotry. Elect Arlene Kelly (Foster)
While i think this is both opportunistic & irrelevant in relation to the current poltical situation in the north in my view SF should condemn the shootings out right to prove theres very little point to it at this stage. After they do so they should ask her to back a truth & reconciliation struture going forward. Lets see her respond to that.
@Mjhint: don’t be a fool man. If SF responds in any way to Foster on this they would be handing her the narrative of the election. She wants to talk about anything that isn’t Brexit. She is obviously getting bollocked at the doors over Brexit by her our own people and desperately needs to change the narrative- when all else fails, fall back to the Orange and against Green trenches. Sounds like a wounded animal to me!
Heu Arlene, I’ve a question for you, your father was a policeman – are you going to comdem the collusion of the RUC with their side kicks UDA/UVF in the killing and maiming of innocent nationalists.
@Grainnewhale: to be fair, the RUC themselves condemned members who collaborated with the UDA. To counter whataboutery, don’t go down the same route.
@Brin: I’ve no problem – who has been held to account for the murder of Rosemary Nelson or Pat Finucane. I’m only stating fact.
@Brin: And another Brin, you may be too young to remember the RUC were a discredited organisation and had to be disbanded – also fact.
Its not even remotely possible to take that wench seriously lol
How is the wood pellet business?
The oppressor looking for an apology for people standing against them
Whataboutery at its finest.
Prime bit of deflection by Snarlene there!
Could she not condemn the intimidation and then bring up the past IRA attacks as an aside? She wouldn’t though, but she’s ignorant and single minded.
@Aidan: Did you read the article?
Arlene is pregnant with Gerry Adams baby
Both parties should come out in public shake hands say they were both wrong for the crimes they have both committed in the past.look to the future look at a brighter northern Ireland for the younger generation.work together
DUP stand for dinosaur unionist party. It’s time to look to the future that way it will be brighter. Arlene Foster like many other people who witnessed loved ones being murdered, abused, imprisoned, taking away and never to be found again on both sides. She must have suffered some sort of post traumatic shock disordered and maybe she the wrong person for her current job as a result of that because she just cannot move on and when you cannot move on you cannot represent anyone. Time to go Arlene your biased towards a new future on inclusion of all sides as equal will never be achieved as long as you lead. Think of both sides future and do what best by resigning.
DUP will gladly take the vote of these North Belfast Loyalists , A truth & reconciliation forum is what is needed up North it will surly help all victims families & Northern Ireland’s society
It has only been a few days since the UDA threatened the Ulster Unionist Party staff and intinidated the party into standing down their candidates in North Belfast.
Everyone in Belfast and elsewhere knows how intrinsic and inextricable the links between the UDA and DUP are. The other loyalist terrorist paramillitary group, the UVF have had a forty-year plus close association with the DUP.
I am not a supporter of Sinn Fein, and condemn all violence but the sanctimonious cant from the DUP offends me deeply.
The DUP is in constant close contact with active loyalist paramillitaries. The same paramilitaries killing, beating, dealing drugs to the weak and vulnerable in prodestant communities, everything from extortion to people trafficking and now flooding the poor areas of Belfast with cheap heroin and using children as dealers.
Just shocking the hyprocrisy of the DUP.
@Leo Sharkey: Forgive my typos.
Toilet
Why was my comment deleted ?
Good man Arney!!
Her view on the troubles is very selfish and immature, remember the shoot to kill policy, Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy… A bit arrogant and cheap of her?
@TamuMassif2019: despicable, especially compared to Sinn Fein/IRA shoot and bomb to miss policy . You do realise that the vast majority of killed and maimed during the troubles were victims of the PIRA and its various off-shoots, with “good republicans” like Slab Murphy continuing the terror along the border up to the present day.
I wonder wil the DUP apologise for the murder of my 83yr old mother and the destruction of our home all carried out by UVF uda
Why has my comment changed at least 5 times?
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