Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“Events in Londonderry and Strabane Council last night again underscore Sinn Fein/IRA’s continuing links to violence. The decision of the party to refuse to back a motion which condemned the bomb outside Londonderry courthouse – and close to the last Protestant presence on the city side of the Foyle in the Fountain estate – meant that the motion only passed due to the casting vote of the mayor.
“This should come as no surprise to those who watched how Sinn Fein celebrated the murder of two RIC men hours earlier.
“Having spent decades defending and justifying attacks just like the one last weekend of course they will not condemn such actions now. Remember – the sainted Martin McGuinness was a key player in the IRA’s blood-soaked campaign in the city of Londonderry.
“The actions of Sinn Fein councillors last night will leave many people thinking about what exactly the relationship is between so-called dissidents and the political wing of the “mainstream” IRA.”