Ruane row: SDLP man threatened
AN SDLP councillor who criticised Education Minister Caitriona Ruane for glorifying hunger striker Bobby Sands in front of west Belfast schoolchildren has been threatened.
Dunmurry councillor Matthew McDermott acc-used the Sinn Fein minister of "propaganda" while speaking at his old school last week.
During a prize-giving ceremony at St Colm's High School in Twinbrook, Ms Ruane praised the IRA hunger striker, telling pupils they should be thankful that Sands paved the way for a better future for them.
Now graffiti, some containing obscene language, has appeared on several walls around the area and Cllr McDermott said that he had been verbally abused while out walking with his four-year-old son.
Speaking of the reason behind the threats he said: "It was absolutely wrong for Caitriona Ruane to promote party political positions when acting in her capacity as a minister and it was equally wrong for Jennifer McCann, Sinn Fein MLA, to say that her party thinks it's fine if a unionist minister were to praise Gusty Spence, a UVF terrorist.
"I would call on the SF leadership to publicly condemn these threats on my family and condemn the use of graffiti and vandalism as a method
of getting a message across," Cllr McDermott said.
"Others and I have worked hard over the past year to ensure the Colin area can be graffiti free – these people should be ashamed. If anyone has an issue with me, they should contact me directly.
"Many members of the local community have been fully supportive and behind me and believe it an absolute disgrace that faceless thugs would subject anyone, least of all a four-year-old, to this threat."
Writing on his internet blog last Friday, Cllr McDermott said of Ms Ruane's remarks: "This was blatant Sinn Fein propaganda being delivered by the Minister for Education in a school on official ministerial business. It was inappropriate and irresponsible.
"Is the minister saying this in every school she visits?"
But last night a Sinn Fein spokesman dismissed Cllr McDermott's comments, accusing him of seeking publicity.
"Sinn Fein aren't aware at this stage of any threats made against Matthew McDermott, but realistically if he feels that strongly about the nature of what has been written then he should contact the PSNI instead of releasing press statements," he said.
"Mr McDermott's Thatcherite comments have caused deep hurt and offence within the Twinbrook community and that hurt and offence has been raised by many members of the community as well as by Sinn Fein representatives."
However, Cllr McDermott's party colleague, Tim Attwood, said that he had been right to raise the issue, adding: "This graffiti directed at Matthew McDermott is vicious and threatening."
Over the weekend the PSNI confirmed that it was investigating an alleged incident of glorifying terrorism following a complaint about Ms Ruane's remarks at the school.
The school has been in the headlines in recent months after a series of hoax bomb alerts targeted the school following a visit by the Royal Navy.
In September three officers from the Royal Navy visited the school to lead a team-building and leadership event.
Sinn Fein said that parents should have been consulted before the "secret visit", but principal Imelda Johnston said that pupils had been made aware of the "planned visit".
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Monday 28 May 2012
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