DUP leader Gavin Robinson says the Irish state is in no position to 'point fingers' over the legacy of the Troubles
The leader of the DUP has said that the Dublin government is in no position to “point fingers” at the UK over its handling of the Troubles.
Gavin Robinson made the comments yesterday, a day after the Irish deputy leader Simon Harris appeared alongside UK Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn at Hillsborough Castle.
Mr Harris had said that they had a “constructive discussion” about “the complex and important area of the legacy of the past”.
It comes after the Irish and UK governments unveiled a “memorandum of understanding” had been reached between them on April 15, paving the way for Dublin to co-operate with the ongoing public inquiry into the Omagh bombing of 1998.
The bomb had originated in the Republic of Ireland, to which the bombers fled after the atrocity.
"It's deeply troubling to see the Republic of Ireland consistently point fingers at the UK over legacy matters while neglecting its own responsibilities,” said Mr Robinson.
"Justice must be a universal pursuit, not a selective one.”
He pointed to “a catalogue of failures on legacy” by the Dublin government, among them “the Republic’s refusal to extradite Rita O’Hare on the grounds that her crime was ‘political,’ is a stark example of that double standard”.
O’Hare was a senior Provo and Sinn Fein figure who served as editor of the An Phoblacht magazine.
She fled to the Republic in the 1970s, accused of attempted murder of a British soldier in Northern Ireland.
"Let’s be clear, her crime was naked sectarian terrorism,” said Mr Robinson.
"Shielding individuals from justice undermines the rights of innocent victims and erodes public confidence in the rule of law.
"Victims of the Troubles deserve transparency and accountability. It's unacceptable for any government to evade its duty to address past atrocities.
"If the Republic of Ireland wishes to be taken seriously in discussions about legacy and justice, it must first demonstrate a commitment to confronting its own past and supporting all victims equally. Not least, the families of the Omagh bomb who have been repeatedly let down with warm words but no meaningful action by Dublin.”