Sinn Fein leader Michelle O’Neill is driving new support for past IRA terrorism, say unionists

The DUP MP Gregory Campbell and the TUV leader Jim Allister reacted forcefully to a poll which appeared to find that almost 70% of nationalists agree with the Sinn Fein vice president that violence was necessary.

Mr Campbell said that Ms O’Neill’s leadership had caused a new generation to grow up to “romanticise the campaign of shooting and bombing”.

Mr Allister said that the survey pointed to the “loss of moral compass by many”.

The two men made their comments after a LucidTalk poll concluded that nearly seven in 10 nationalist voters agreed with comments by Sinn Fein’s leader at Stormont Ms O’Neill that there was “no alterative” to IRA violence during Northern Ireland’s troubled past.

The opinion poll found that 69% of respondents from the nationalist and republican community believe “violent resistance to British rule during the Troubles” was the only option.

Ms O’Neill has been strongly criticised by unionists and some victims’ groups for her comments on the past.

The poll found that almost 75% of people who were surveyed aged between 18 and 44 agreed with Ms O’Neill. Mr Allister said of the findings, published by the Belfast Telegraph: “The poll suggesting 69% of nationalists endorse Michelle O’Neill’s justification of IRA murder is, of course, appalling in its insight into the loss of a moral compass by many, but confirmatory of the success of republican-driven revisionism.

“What a distance these 69% have travelled from the papal declaration that ‘murder is murder’. Now, to them murder is justified. Such brazen endorsement of the murder of neighbours, policemen and fellow religionists is a chilling commentary on the perverseness that lies at the heart of the so called ‘peace process’ – a process that has brought most nationalists (according to this poll) to this sick and obscene conclusion.

“Little wonder unionists recoil from the supposed ‘New Ireland’ they claim to offer!”

Mr Campbell said: “It is deeply worrying that because of Michelle O’Neill’s leadership where she frequently celebrates a range of PIRA terrorists, a new generation have grown to romanticise the campaign of shooting and bombing.”

He said the younger generation needs to know there is “no justification” for paramilitary murders.

“There was and always is an alternative to violence,” Mr Campbell added. “There was and always is an alternative to killing your neighbours with bombs and bullets. The alternative was and is not to kill but rather use purely peaceful and democratic means.

“I grew up in the same city as Martin McGuinness at the same time. My house was no better than his.

“I had similar employment struggles as my Protestant and Catholic neighbours. I did not resort to guns and bombs. Neither did many of my Catholic and Protestant neighbours.

“The killing of innocent men, women and children, whatever the cause, can never be justified.

“I don’t believe that 70% of nationalists would defend the PIRA. How could anyone in their right mind defend the so-called disappeared such as Jean McConville, or the Claudy bomb in my constituency, or the Teebane massacre, the La Mon firebomb, the Enniskillen bomb or the attempt to murder Nigel and Diane Dodds in the RVH children’s hospital.

“Republican terrorists were responsible for more than half of all deaths in the Troubles. I refuse to accept there were any ‘legitimate targets’ for paramilitaries in the Troubles.”

Morning View: The idea that IRA terrorism was justified is one that has been building for a long time