General Election: IRA victim urges voters to oppose Jeremy Corbyn over Sinn Fein association

A woman whose mother was killed in the Enniskillen Poppy Day bomb has featured in a pre-election article in the Sun newspaper.
Aileen Quinton (centre left) and Kate Hoey MP (centre right) in London with other Leave campaigners on the eve of the EU referendum. June 22 2016. Pic sent in by Aileen QuintonAileen Quinton (centre left) and Kate Hoey MP (centre right) in London with other Leave campaigners on the eve of the EU referendum. June 22 2016. Pic sent in by Aileen Quinton
Aileen Quinton (centre left) and Kate Hoey MP (centre right) in London with other Leave campaigners on the eve of the EU referendum. June 22 2016. Pic sent in by Aileen Quinton

Aileen Quinton’s mother Alberta was one of 11 people killed by the IRA bomb at the town’s cenotaph in 1987.

Over 60 others were injured, some of them very seriously.

Living for most of her life as a civil servant in south London, Ms Quinton was one of a number of people the paper interviewed about why they would not trust the Labour leader as prime minister.

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The online report was attributed to former Labour MP Ian Austin, who urged Labour voters to support Boris Johnson after resigning from the party over claims that it failed to tackle anti-Semitism.

Ms Quinton told the News Letter: “I decided to speak out on account of Jeremy Corbyn’s track record on anti-Semitism and terrorism. I am not saying people should not vote Labour, but I do think they should look very carefully at each candidate on a case by case basis before deciding who to vote for.”

Ms Quinton told the Sun: “Jeremy Corbyn’s explanation [for associating with Sinn Fein during the Troubles] is that he was campaigning for peace. If that’s the case, why was he was pictured so often slabbering over Sinn Fein but never seen with any on the loyalist side?

“He always finds it difficult to condemn the IRA - and insists instead on condemning all violence. Why is it so hard just to condemn people who tried to murder our soldiers?”

A long-time Labour supporter and activist, she added: “If you are a Labour party supporter the only way to win your party back is to vote against it, I’m afraid.”