Statement by TUV party secretary and North Belfast spokesman Ron McDowell:
“Around the world the poppy is recognised as the symbol of remembrance. We can all see at the annual national ceremony of remembrance at the Cenotaph that it still employed by many nations which fought for freedom in two World Wars. It is not for Sinn Fein to seek to reshape remembrance either by disregarding the poppy or by holding its own self-styled act of remembrance distinct from that organised by the British Legion for the benefit of cameras and a press all to will to repeat their talking points.
“The poppy is a particularly appropriate symbol of remembrance of the price paid for freedom given its direct link to the battle fields of France. This was of course immortalised in John McCrae’s “In Flander’s Fields”.
“If Sinn Fein expect applause from Unionists for their actions today they have another thing coming. Their attempts to use it for political purposes is transparent.
“Real reaching out as far as I am concerned would be telling the truth about the Enniskillen bombing when Republicans murdered a dozen people for the crime of remembering the price paid for freedom.”