Sinn Fein calls on Irish government to block UK legacy bill: But Dublin has set no example over legacy says DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly

Speaking at Sinn Féin's 42nd annual National Hunger Strike Commemoration in Cork on Sunday, Ms O'Neill said the "anti-democratic, unjust" legislation's sole purpose is to "conceal the truth and protect British state forces".

She added: "And if the British government do not withdraw this legislation, the Irish government should confront this denial of human rights through an interstate case and international action against the British government."

The DUP MLA Emma Little-Pengelly has now responded by noting that parties across the spectrum in NI oppose the UK legacy bill.

“But no-one however should hold the Republic of Ireland up as any kind of example in this process,” she added.

“Between 1973 and 1997 a total of 113 extradition requests were made to the Republic of terrorist related offences. Only eight people were ever extradited.”

She also noted the murder of Ian Sproule in 1991 which the IRA justified by producing a Gardai intelligence file on their victim.

“The Sproule family struggled for many years even to secure a meeting with the Taoiseach,” she added.

"We see even with the Omagh bombing where the UK has announced progress towards an inquiry, yet the state in which the bomb was planned, prepared and transported from [the Republic of Ireland] has remained silent.”

Several weeks ago some of the Omagh bomb families said they were surprised and disappointed at the Irish government ignoring a judge's call for a public inquiry into the Omagh bomb on both sides of the border.

Twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, died in the Real IRA attack

The DUP MLA said her party also opposes the UK bill’s facto amnesty.

“Yet victims are continually denied access, often even to simple meetings, with the Dublin authorities, let alone see a serious examination of the Republic of Ireland’s role in the founding and funding of the Provisional IRA.”

In 1993 former Irish Minister Neil Blaney told BBC journalist Peter Taylor in a documentary that his own cabinet had helped the fledgling Provisional IRA in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Blaney said: “We didn’t help to create them [PIRA] but we certainly would have accelerated by what assistance we could have given their emergence as a force.”

A UUP spokesman responded that unlike Sinn Fein, it has always opposed any form of Troubles immunity.

“The reality is that as far back as 2001 Sinn Fein did as a condition for the PIRA disarming,” he said.

“Sinn Fein also supported the Stormont House Agreement legacy mechanisms which gave immunities for those who perpetrated crimes short of murder.

"Now they are calling for an interstate case to cover their tracks despite having never put pressure on the Irish government to have their own legacy mechanisms to deal with the past.

“These calls from Michelle O'Neill are for show, nothing more, while Sinn Fein support Royal Prerogatives of Mercy for PIRA members and act as postmen for on-the-run comfort letters.”

TUV leader Jim Allister said Sinn Fein should be “the last people to point the finger on legacy”.

He added: “Their IRA was the most bloodthirsty murder machine, yet to this day they deliberately conceal the truth from all their victims, with IRA Commander leading the way when at the Saville Inquiry he took ‘the Provo Fifth’.

"Sinn Fein’s interest in legacy is only as an aid to rewriting history as they focus only on State actions but never deliver the truth and light they could on IRA terror.”

The News Letter invited Sinn Fein to respond, however no comment has been supplied at the time of going to press.

The Taoiseach and Irish Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs were also invited to comment.

​According to reference work Lost Lives, republicans were responsible for 58% of all Troubles deaths and loyalists 30% - all of which were murder. Security forces were responsible for 10% of killings, albeit most of them were lawfully carried out.