DUP hits back at Sinn Fein’s ‘inflaming tensions’ claim

Hitting back at Sinn Fein vice-president Ms O’Neill, the Foyle MLA said his party condemns the disorder, and that “the only party engaging in amateur dramatics is Sinn Fein”.

Ms O’Neill made the claims during Assembly question time on Monday, as she commented on recent violent attacks, the latest of which saw a bus burned out on the loyalist Rathcoole estate on Sunday night.

Last Monday, another bus was burned in Newtownards in an attack linked to loyalist protocol opposition. Police were attacked in clashes at a community interface in west Belfast involving youths from the nationalist Springfield Road and loyalist Shankill Road/Lanark Way last week.

Ms O’Neill said the DUP was guilty of “reckless and damaging” rhetoric and called for an end to “sabre rattling” over the protocol.

“I think that all political leaders need to reflect very carefully on the impact of their words and indeed of their deeds,” she said.

“The burning of buses in Newtownards or Rathcoole and the threat to the bus drivers is absolutely irresponsible and it’s reckless.

“Some of the rhetoric that we’ve witnessed, particularly in relation to the protocol, is completely reckless.

“I think it’s utterly appalling that we now see that’s being translated, that dialling up of rhetoric, that dialling up of language, being translated into violence on our streets where we have seen these attacks on buses in the last number of weeks.”

She added: “And also I’m very conscious of the fact that there’s been a deliberate strategy to bring those tensions into interface areas and to heighten tensions even further. So that type of approach is both disgraceful and also unacceptable.

“So not only should the DUP be condemning this violence they should stop feeding the narrative that inflames it and indeed also even encourages it.”

Gary Middleton responded, saying “it is outrageous for Michelle O’Neill to make such insinuations.”

He said: “Sinn Fein, along with the Alliance Party, Green Party and the SDLP wanted the rigorous implementation of the protocol even though it was costing NI £850m per year.

“Those burning buses are to be condemned. Their actions undermine our cause and distract from the debate. Opposing the NI Protocol is a legitimate position. Not a single elected unionist supports the protocol.”

Mr Middleton added: “Michelle O’Neill stood at a fake wall on the border with a sledgehammer and said she would smash any north-south border even though one exists. The only party engaging in amateur dramatics is Sinn Fein.”

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“It would make a big difference to me, and many other families, if we were to get justice.

“It’s not going to bring them back but at least it would be something.