McElduff should have resigned sooner: Foster

The DUP leader said Mr McElduff was right to resign following his “disgraceful” video featuring a Kingsmill loaf, but said the party had also “demonstrated a lack of respect” by initially only suspending the high-profile figure.

Mrs Foster said: “He was not fit for public office and should have resigned in the immediate aftermath of posting the disgraceful video mocking and insulting the horrific terrorist events at Kingsmills.”

Mrs Foster said Sinn Fein had failed, over the last 10 days, to “deal with the McElduff situation,” and added: “By merely suspending him and continuing to pay him they compounded his disgraceful actions and demonstrated a lack of respect and compassion for the victims of Kingmills and indeed victims more widely. Sinn Fein got this badly wrong.

“Now is the time for Sinn Fein to learn the lessons from these dark events and to deal with the fact that it, and many of its individual members, continue to publicly glorify the murderous deeds of the past.

“This needs to end if we are to build a future based on integrity and respect. Sinn Fein has much work to do to demonstrate they have truly learned from these events.”

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood also said Mr McElduff had “done the right thing” by standing down.

“His actions caused huge offence and immense hurt,” Mr Eastwood said.

“Over the weekend we heard from Alan Black about his pain and that of the families of the victims of Kingsmill. It is deeply regrettable that it has taken over a week for Mr McElduff to do the right thing.

“Many will welcome Mr McElduff’s resignation but will also question the failure of the Sinn Fein leadership to deal decisively with this issue.”

Mr Eastwood said the Provisonal republican movement has “never expressed remorse” for specific murderous attacks, which is a reality that “the Sinn Fein leadership fail to face up to”.

He added: “If we are to deliver a truly reconciled society, the Sinn Fein leadership needs to accept that they have never gained trust amongst the unionist community.

“The Sinn Fein leadership cannot escape the fact that their failures have undermined the task of reconciliation that can only be put right by finally apologising for the Kingsmills massacre.

“While Barry McElduff has finally done the right thing, it is now Michelle O’Neill’s turn.”

Kenny Donaldson of the Innocent Victims United group said in the 10 days it took Mr McElduff to resign, the “painful sores” of the Kingsmills victims “have been reopened and exposed,” but added: “Good can yet come from the last fortnight, We repeat our call for a formal acknowledgement from the Provisional movement and all terrorist organisations and also the two nation states – UK and Republic of Ireland. The thrust of the acknowledgement would be as follows; ‘We accept that no grievance, enmity or political objective justified the use of criminal violence in what became known as the Northern Ireland Troubles’.”

Alliance deputy leader Dr Stephen Farry said the furore and the Sinn Fein reaction highlights the need to deal with our troubled past.

Dr Farry said events of the last 10 days “should serve to show the requirement to prioritise the needs of victims here,” and added: “The most important thing throughout this entire sorry episode has been the thoughts and feelings of victims and survivors.

“It should remind us of the suffering experienced by them and their needs. There must be a robust and effective means of dealing with the past created so those most directly affected by our past can have their requirements addressed.

“The hurt and pain caused by Barry McElduff was compounded by the lack of an explanation as to his intent behind the video, a clarification we are still without.”

The Presbyterian church has welcomed Mr McElduff’s resignation, saying that he “bowed to the inevitable”.

A church spokesman also said that the church hoped that this “deeply offensive episode, that hurt so many, will be a salient lesson for all in public leadership”.