TUV Fermanagh and South Tyrone Assembly candidate Donald Crawford has reported the Sinn Fein/IRA chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to the Northern Ireland Ombudsman. It has emerged that Cllr Thomas O’Reilly wore his chain of office while laying a wreath at a Republican commemoration in Arney, Co Fermanagh.
The text of Mr Crawford’s complaint reads as follows:
Dear Dr Frawley,
Re Complaint against Cllr Thomas O’Reilly, chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
I write to ask you to investigate the conduct of Cllr Thomas O’Reilly, chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, at a 1916 Rising commemoration organised by Sinn Fein/IRA in Arney, Co Fermanagh.
On Easter Sunday Cllr O’Reilly laid a green, white and orange wreath at the commemoration. The inscription on the card read: “On behalf of the chairman Fermanagh and Omagh District Council”. Additionally photographs in a local newspaper make it clear that Cllr O’Reilly wore his chain of office when laying the wreath.
While I acknowledge that paragraph 4.12 of the Code for elected members gives councillors the right to legally express any political opinion that they may hold, I contend that the actions of Cllr O’Reilly failed to take account of the rest of the paragraph which states:
“In doing so, however, you should have regard to the Principles of Conduct and should not express opinions in a manner that is manifestly in conflict with the Principles of Conduct.”
I invite you to investigate if Cllr O’Reilly’s conduct on Sunday is compatible with the code and its principles.
Specifically, I would draw your attention to paragraphs 4.2 (“You must not conduct yourself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing your position as a councillor, or your council, into disrepute”); 4.8 (“You must maintain and strengthen the public trust and confidence in the integrity of your council. You must promote and support the Code at all times and encourage others to follow your example”);4.11 (which requires councillors “to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between people of different racial groups, religious belief or political opinion”) and 4.13(a) (“[You must] show respect and consideration for others”).
It is important to remember that events of the nature attended by Cllr O’Reilly do not just commemorate events in the GPO in Dublin 100 years ago. Sinn Fein/IRA also uses these events to celebrate the blood-soaked deeds of the Provisional IRA in more recent times.
As you will be aware across the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area a large number of people suffered at the hands of the IRA. The most infamous of these was the Poppy Day Bombing in 1987 but there are a plethora of other incidents which wreaked many homes across the council area. Statistically over 90% of deaths caused by the Troubles in Fermanagh were murders carried out by Republican terrorists. Additionally, it is estimated that at least 30 families had to leave their homes on the Fermanagh border alone during the Troubles because of the threat posed by IRA violence.
It is grossly insulting therefore that the chairman of the council would have chosen to lay a wreath at this event not as a member of Sinn Fein but in his capacity as council chairman and while wearing his chain of office.
If there is an obligation upon all councillors to act as paragraphs 4.2, 4.8, 4.11 and 4.13(a) dictate then surely the obligation upon them to observe the code is even greater when acting as chairman and de facto representative of the council.
I look forward to hearing from you at an early opportunity about this most serious matter.
Yours sincerely,
Donald Crawford