PSNI probe over Ruane's hunger striker praise
THE PSNI is investigating an alleged incident of glorifying terrorism after the Education Minister praised IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands at a school prize day.
Last week Minister Caitriona Ruane sparked unionist outrage when she lavished praise on Bobby Sands to an audience of schoolchildren at St Colm's High School in Twinbrook. She told the pupils they should be thankful that the hunger striker paved the way for a better future for them.
The PSNI spokeswoman confirmed they were investigating a complaint about the alleged glorification of terrorism, which had been made on Saturday at Antrim police station, but said they did not comment on named individuals.
"The assessment of the report is at an early stage and it has not been established if any offence has been committed," she said.
A Sinn Fein spokesman described the complaint as "nonsense", adding: "There are pensioners being robbed in their homes, kids being stabbed on the streets and people dying on our roads. The PSNI have far more important things to be doing with their time."
UUP education spokesman Basil McCrea said the minister should have considered the ramifications of her speech beforehand. "The funeral is taking place today (Sunday] of one person who might have taken particular issue with the minister's comments – one of the IRA's Disappeared," he said.
"Ms Ruane is not some random MLA speaking to her own electorate, she is the Minister for Education who professes to be acting in the interests of everyone and at times says she is specifically acting in the interests of children in unionist areas. But it is very hard for us to move on together as a community when Sinn Fein keeps attempting to rewrite history like this."
Mr McCrea said that if there was no apology from Ms Ruane he was calling for the First and Deputy First Minister to censure her in the new year.
During her school visit, Ms Ruane said she was saddened that a film about the Irish Civil War (The Wind That Shakes The Barley) had been criticised.
Mr McCrea responded that it was "incredibly disturbing" that Ms Ruane "revealed frightening authoritarian tendencies by attacking those who dared to criticise a film that gave a historically inaccurate account of the Civil War".
The Department of Education said it was not a matter for them to comment on.
Sinn Fein said it would have been "totally inappropriate" for the minister not to refer to Bobby Sands in the school as he had lived in the Twinbrook area.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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