Ireland must come clean about "genocide along the border" if Troubles legacy issues are reopened, says DUP's Sammy Wilson
Ireland must come clean about “genocide along the border” if Troubles issues are back on the table, DUP MP Sammy Wilson has said.
The East Antrim MP made his comments during a House of Commons debate on Wednesday night, after Secretary of State Hilary Benn announced he’d taken early steps to repeal and replace the Legacy Act that halted inquests and civil cases into Troubles-era incidents.
Mr Wilson suggested that repealing the Act would realistically “not result in terrorists being taken through the courts or through the process in Northern Ireland”.
Instead, he said, it would only see “ageing members of the security forces being dragged, once again, through the courts and suffering as a result of the service that they gave in Northern Ireland”.
Pointing out that Mr Benn continues to speak to the Irish government about these issues despite Ireland currently suing the UK over the Legacy Act, Mr Wilson said: “The Irish government has shamelessly taken our government to court, whilst doing nothing about the collusion and the activities of the Irish state and Irish security forces in aiding and abetting the killing of soldiers and genocide along the border.
“Will [the Secretary of State] ensure that if there’s a discussion on legacy, that they address the sins that they’re guilty of over the past?”
Mr Benn replied: “In dealing with the legacy of the Troubles, it is important that everyone faces up to the consequences of what happened and what they did or did not do. Everyone.”