Arlene Foster to write to Dail chair over Sinn Fein TD’S ‘shameful’ tweet about IRA attacks

Arlene Foster is to write to the chair of the Dail regarding the comments attributed to Sinn Fein TD for Laois/Offaly Brian Stanley.

He sent a tweet on Saturday celebrating two historical IRA attacks on the British army.

The tweet has since been deleted, but was blasted as “shameful” by first minister and DUP leader Ms Foster.

Mr Stanley, who is also the chairman of the Dail’s Public Accounts Committee, is reported to have sent the tweet on the centenary of the Kilmichael ambush in 1920.

He wrote to his 3,700 followers: “Kilmicheal (sic) (1920) and Narrow Water (1979) the 2 IRA operations that taught the elective of (the) British army and the establishment the cost of occupying Ireland. Pity for everyone they were such slow learners.”

The Kilmichael ambush was an attack carried out by the IRA during the War of Independence in which 17 members of the Royal Irish Constabulary Auxiliary Division were killed.

The Narrow Water ambush took place during the Troubles and saw 18 British soldiers killed by the IRA near Warrenpoint, in 1979.

The attack took place the same day provisionals blew up a fishing boat off the coast of Mullaghmore in Co Sligo, which killed Lord Louis Mountbatten, a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth who served in two world wars.

On Sunday, Ms Foster signalled her intention to raise the tweet with the Irish parliament.

She tweeted: “I will be writing to the Ceann Comhairle of the Dail about this shameful tweet.

“Although deleted, it is outrageous that someone with such warped views can hold a senior position in the Dail. SF talk about respect & equality but there’s not much sign of respect for victims.”

Mr Stanley’s tweet received more than 500 likes on the platform and was shared close to 400 times.

UUP Justice Spokesman Doug Beattie described the comments as “a perversion of history”.

He added: “These vile and reprehensible comments by Brian Stanley once again expose the fact that Sinn Fein are not a normal political party. On one hand they complain when people link them to the IRA but on the other they revel and gloat about IRA atrocities. Sinn Fein offer a perversion of history and don’t spare a thought for the relatives who still grieve for the lost lives of their loved ones, murdered by the IRA.”

Innocent Victims United Kenny Donaldson said of the comments: “For a Sinn Fein TD to continue to eulogise these events in 2020 is sickening and highly insulting to the families broken by these heinous events, particularly as first and second generation relatives and survivors of Narrow Water are still alive.”

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