The Twelfth: Gerry Kelly slammed for ‘bare-faced cheek’ of social distancing criticism

Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly has been accused of showing “bare-faced cheek” after criticising social distancing at Twelfth of July celebrations.
Gerry Kelly MLA (right) at the funeral of veteran republican Bobby Storey last monthGerry Kelly MLA (right) at the funeral of veteran republican Bobby Storey last month
Gerry Kelly MLA (right) at the funeral of veteran republican Bobby Storey last month

Mr Kelly is one of a number of senior Sinn Fein figures who have found themselves at the centre of a political scandal following the apparent disregard shown for coronavirus restrictions at the funeral for former IRA man Bobby Storey last month.

He has now come in for further criticism from DUP MP Sammy Wilson and TUV leader Jim Allister after speaking out to criticise social distancing at the Twelfth in Belfast.

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“I’ve been speaking to the police over the last number of days,” Mr Kelly said in a TV interview broadcast by the BBC.

“I have asked them if they are taking evidence over the lack of social distancing and about the laws being broken here and we’ll see if any action is taken here.”

Responding, Mr Wilson told the News Letter: “If people were not abiding by the guidelines then they weren’t doing the Orange Order or the Twelfth much of a service, because the Orange Order were scruplous in making sure they didn’t put any arrangements in place which could have led to conflict with the coronavirus guidelines.

“Secondly, they were encouraging people to enjoy the Twelfth in line with the guidelines.

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“I think you would have had to look very hard to find examples of where those calls weren’t heeded. But having said that, if rules were broken that was wrong.”

Mr Wilson continued: “I’ve got to say – there’s bare-faced cheek and there’s bare-faced cheek.

“For anybody from Sinn Fein to come on and even suggest that they have got some authority or credibility in pointing the finger at people who broke the guidelines is just incredible.

“These are the people who not only broke the guidelines but encouraged others to break the guidelines.”

He added: “They have no credibility.”

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Mr Allister said: “Considering that he and his ilk, he and his cronies, indulged themselves in precisely that at the Storey funeral, he really is the last person who should be pontificating about it.

“It’s just him trying to stir the pot and rub the salt into the wound that they created.”

He added: “I think Sinn Fein has a strategy to deflect from the Storey event by pointing the finger at everyone else.

“Not that I’m defending non-compliance with social distancing at all, but the big distinction is that Sinn Fein organised and turned out for the Bobby Storey funeral.

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“There is no politician who has any responsibility for organising or encouraging what happened at Eleventh Night bonfires or on the Twelfth – the organisations laid down what they wanted to happen and, unlike Sinn Fein, there were no politicians associated with disobedience to that.”