'Up the Ra' row latest: Troubles victims' activist says republican political leadership to blame for 'cancer of terror glorification'

The woman in question – named widely as Sinead Murtagh, a volunteer at St Paul’s school, Bessbrook – was filmed chanting the slogan next to Arlene Foster the weekend before last.

Then, on the Sunday just gone, the Sunday Life printed a picture of her posing with a replica AK47 rifle.

Kenny Donaldson, of the umbrella organisation Innocent Victims United (IVU), told the News Letter that such actions are the result of "heinous propaganda" and a "cancer of violence glamorisation", undertaken at the highest level of republican politics.

Meanwhile the DUP has called for an investigation into the gun image itself.

Mr Donaldson said: "There is no question of these issues disappearing, and ultimately responsibility for this young woman's behaviour are the actions of political leaders within Irish Republicanism, who have promoted the eulogising and glamorisation of terrorism and its' perpetrators.

"This young woman is the outworking of their heinous propaganda.

"Murder was and is wrong – no ifs, buts, or maybes. And no political party which claims to be committed to democracy can credibly suggest otherwise.

"This young woman must account for the wrong she has been party to, this issue will continue to run until there is acknowledgement of the illegitimacy of such behaviour.

"This is not about quelling freedom of speech. This about challenging the cancer of violence glamorisation.

"This is a battle that must be won if we re to be successful in preventing non-recurrence of violence in this place."

IVU acts as an umbrella for 24 smaller victims' groups, with a combined membership in excess of 13,000.

The Sunday Life reported that the gun image was posted on her Instagram page in 2020, marked with the following keywords: 'Crossmaglen', 'Easter Rising', and 'AK47 official'.

The News Letter has been unable to find this account.

However, when it comes to her Facebook page, as of Monday evening it read: "This content isn't available right now. When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted."

Dame Arlene’s police reservist father was shot and seriously wounded by the IRA at their family farm near Rosslea in 1979.

The IRA also bombed a school bus she was travelling on in Lisnaskea in 1988.

In a statement, St Paul's High School in Bessbrook (where she was a counsellor) had said it works "tirelessly to embrace diversity and encourage multicultural harmony".

It added: “St Pauls High School is aware of an incident which occurred on social media and are following proper procedures.

"The female in question had engaged with the school in a voluntary capacity.

"However due to recent circumstances has requested a period of personal leave and the school are supporting her in this decision."

The school was contacted on Monday to see if it could shed more light on her role, and to see if Ms Murtagh wanted to say anything, but no response had been received at time of writing.

Meanwhile DUP East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson voiced concern about the AK47 photograph.

"Replica weapons may not be able to fire ammunition, but it does not mean they cannot be used to cause harm,” he said.

"No-one in Northern Ireland should be happy that someone appears to be able to get their picture taken with such a weapon apparently around a kitchen table.”

More on this topic from this reporter:

1 > Just the facts: As pro-IRA chanting spreads across Ireland here are the hard numbers and graphs behind the IRA's insurrection

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